Sanmen green crabs are packaged and placed in baskets. [Photo/Tide News]

Fresh coastal seafood has found a new home in the deserts of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, where more than 10 metric tons of Sanmen green crabs were harvested for the first time during the National Day holiday.

In Xinkailing town, Aral city, farmers pull up heavy crab cages filled with bright-shelled crabs, many weighing over 300 grams and some exceeding 500 grams. After sorting and packaging, truckloads of "desert crabs" are sent to nearby markets. Local seafood dealers noted that demand had surged, even from northern Xinjiang, due to the freshness and affordability of the local harvest.

The success of Sanmen crabs in Xinjiang can be attributed to a two-year collaboration between an aid team from Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang province, and agricultural innovators from Sanmen county in Taizhou.

In 2023, a crab farming project utilizing saline water was initiated, introducing high-quality crab seedlings and advanced aquaculture technologies from Sanmen.

Following the pilot of 30,000 seedlings last year, a 400-mu (26.67 hectares) modern breeding base was established this spring, equipped with smart water-quality monitoring and recycling systems. Yields have now exceeded 50 kilograms per mu.

Sanmen crab farming not only enriches dining tables across the northwest but also provides a new approach for transforming saline land into productive aquaculture zones.