Since the end of March, approximately 3 million high-quality crab seedlings have been released at the Jinsha Bay base in Shahai township of Bayannuur's Hanggin Rear Banner, in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. Totaling 26,500 kilograms, the Yangtze River Chinese mitten crab seedlings carry the hope of a bountiful harvest on the saline-alkali flats of the Hetao Plain.

To boost survival rates and ensure the seedlings settle smoothly, technicians completed preliminary preparations such as water quality regulation and oxygenation, along with equipment adjustments, to lay a solid foundation for the aquaculture work. The saline-alkali land, which once hindered agricultural development, has been transformed into a natural incubator for cultivating high-quality river crabs.

"The dry climate, abundant sunlight and mineral-rich saline-alkali water combine to give the crabs their green back, white belly, golden claws, yellow hair and sweet, tender meat," said Gao Huijun, director of the banner's aquatic products service center."They are expected to mature by mid-September, over 20 days earlier than southern mitten crabs, highlighting their off-season advantage and strong market competitiveness."

Located in the center of the Hetao Plain at 40 degrees north latitude, the area boasts high-quality water resources from the Yellow River and vast saline-alkali land.

In recent years, the local government has delved into the development path of fishing to treat salinealkali and promote ecological farming. Leveraging leading enterprises to focus on characteristic aquaculture on saline-alkali land is gradually yielding industrial advantages while building a premium aquatic brand of local crabs.

As the main aquaculture unit, the Inner Mongolia Crab Source Ecological Technology Co has fully developed its standardized ecological farming bases, promoting modern aquaculture technologies such as scientific management, ecological grass planting and intelligent oxygenation, making aquaculture a characteristic pillar industry for local rural vitalization.

"The company has set up three major farming bases in the townships of Erdaoqiao, Shahai and Menghai, covering a total area of 100 hectares," said Wang Dong, manager of the company.

Technology is the key to breeding crabs on saline-alkali flats. The banner's agriculture and animal husbandry bureau, science and technology bureau and aquatic products service center have collaborated with Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Yancheng Teachers University in Jiangsu province and other institutions to establish an aquatic product science and technology facility, as well as a crustacean green circular aquaculture doctoral research workstation.

Researchers focus on overcoming core technologies such as aquatic plant cultivation, water quality regulation and ecological feeding to achieve optimal saline-alkali water crab farming.

Since the seedlings were released, Yang Yanping from the doctoral research workstation has been stationed daily at the base to monitor water temperature and seedling activity. "Aquatic plants regulate water quality and provide food for the crab seedlings, as well as offering hiding spaces," said Yang. "The wide geographical area and suitable climate temperatures here allow for the year-round cultivation of waterweed, which ensures the quality of the crabs."

The doctoral workstation has researchers participating in the entire breeding guidance process, said Gao. From early pond transformation and aquatic plant cultivation to mid-stage feeding management and late-stage quality control and experimental testing, they are involved in every step to ensure the quality of the crabs.

"Furthermore, teachers from the aquaculture team of Inner Mongolia Agricultural University are stationed at the front lines year-round, summarizing and forming a localized, replicable healthy crab farming model and promoting the implementation of technological achievements," Gao added.

It is estimated that local crab production will exceed 250,000 kg this year, with a production value of over 50 million yuan ($7.33 million). The three major bases have driven the development of over 13.3 hectares of nearby farming areas, providing around 300 job opportunities for surrounding farmers.

Currently, construction of new farming bases at Taiyangmiao Farm and Shuangmiao township is being accelerated, promoting the deep integration of ecological farming with rural tourism and agricultural product branding.