Chinese crayfish flood Vietnamese markets, sparking agricultural concerns

In recent days, online seafood markets have seen a surge in advertising and selling live crayfish in large quantities. Although these lobsters are as small as white-leg shrimp and contain very little meat, marketers emphasize their pretty red color and their firm, sweet flesh when cooked. Popular dishes include lobster with garlic butter sauce, tamarind sauce and spicy stir-fries.

Currently, the price of crayfish is between 360,000 and 400,000 VND/kg. Although this is a 30-40% drop from the previous year, it is still higher than the price of whiteleg shrimp in Vietnamese markets.

Ms Nguyen Thi Thu, an online seafood seller in Hanoi, noted that May to July is the peak season for crayfish in China, leading to abundant supply and lower prices. “Last year, the price ranged between 500,000 and 600,000 VND/kg. Today it is only VND360,000/kg,” she said.

Ms Thu added that while imported frozen crayfish are mainly sold in bulk to restaurants due to their lower prices, live crayfish are mainly sold to individual households. Orders for live crayfish are often 2 kg per customer.

“This lobster is very hardy. It can live all day on land without water, and it can live well for a week in an aquarium,” she said. However, to ensure freshness, Thu usually imports 50 to 60 kg, just enough to sell in a day.

Ly Thi Diep, another seller, highlighted the high demand for live crayfish, with many orders being fulfilled daily. “The crayfish cost 35 per kg and are very healthy. They are packed in 1 kg mesh bags and transported to the market,” she explained. Depending on customer orders, she buys 30 to 100 kg of crayfish daily.

Invasive Species Concerns

Despite their popularity, crayfish are an invasive species and their trade is banned in Vietnam. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has included them in Annex 2 of the list of invasive alien species since 2018. Trade in crayfish is not permitted under Vietnamese law.

Experts warn that crayfish pose a significant threat to agriculture because of their habit of digging deep burrows, their lives underwater and on land, and their omnivorous diet. They can damage infrastructure, destroy native ecosystems and carry diseases.

China, the world’s largest producer of crayfish, has seen an explosion in crayfish farming, sparking concerns about national food security. In Africa, crayfish have invaded rivers and lakes, destroying local ecosystems and infrastructure.

In Vietnam, the agricultural sector is crucial to the livelihoods of many farming households. The lesson of the golden apple snail, another invasive species, serves as a warning. Aquaculture experts stress the need to control and prevent the crayfish trade to avoid similar disasters.

Tam An