Marmorkrebs continue advance in Asia

Marmorkrebs have been found near the mainland of the People’s Republic of China, according to the Macao Daily Times.

The news article is short on details, like how many crayfish or exactly where they were found, with the newspaper simply referring to a “leisure area” on Taipa in Macau. Taipa is technically an island, but sits so close to the mainland that it is connected by reclaimed land. 

The impact of Marmorkrebs in China could be immense. The Louisiana red swamp crayfish was embraced by the restaurant business and is now one of the most popular dishes in China, so there is clearly money to be made on crayfish.

But one of the interesting points of the article is that the concern about invasive species it lists is different than other countries. The article raises the fear that invasive will remove natives that are used for... traditional Chinese medicine.

The map of Marmorkrebs introductions has been updated.

Update: The Macau Post Daily has an article with a little more detail. It sounds like it was a single individual. It also gave a more precise location: “the ecological pond in the Camellia Garden.” Which, unfortunately, I cannot find on Google Maps yet.

 

There is no information up at the Municipal Affairs Bureau yet. At least not on the English site. 

 

More update: Ah, here’s the park with Camellia Garden. And this seems to be the person who found them.

 

External links

Foreign species of crayfish, hazardous to local ecology, found in Taipa

Invasive marbled crayfish found on Big Taipa Hill: IAM