Workers discharge the crabs caught by fishermen in Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province, on Sept 19. [Photo/IC] 

Fresh crabs from Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province, can now be enjoyed by people in other places thanks to a special crab-raising technology developed in the city's Shengsi county over three decades ago. 

The technology, developed by Zheng Genshi, a local fishery company's manager in the county's Shengshan town, can keep the crabs alive for several months on shore after they are caught by fishermen, so that they can be sold at a profitable time.

Before the technology was developed, however, crabs died soon after they were caught and could only be transported to other places in frozen forms, greatly hampering the local crab business and affecting the flavor of the crabs. 

With this technology, fresh crabs in Zhoushan can be enjoyed in other areas. The resulting huge demand has pushed the price up by several hundred times, greatly boosting the local crab business. 

More than 300 companies specializing in onshore crab-raising emerged in Zhoushan in the 1990s, benefiting over 50,000 local fishermen, and attracting fishermen from other coastal areas nationwide to learn the town's special technology. 

As the internet technology developed in recent years, the aquatic products of Zhoushan became popular with e-commerce companies. 

Statistics show that aquatic products from Zhoushan, especially the crabs, are sold in more than 20 provinces and municipalities nationwide, such as Beijing, Dalian, Guangzhou and Xiamen. The city realized a transaction volume of 670,000 metric tons in the first 11 months of the year, generating sales of 12.5 billion yuan ($1.8 billion), of which the crabs accounted for 4.8 billion yuan, with 200,000 tons sold.