With the Mid-Autumn Festival just around the corner, preparations for family reunion feasts are already underway, and the signature aquatic products from Dongtang Town in Renhua County have entered their prime tasting season. On September 10, we visited a aquaculture base in Gaolian Village to check on the growth of freshwater prawns, small lobsters, and hairy crabs.

Located near the Gaolian Village Committee, this aquaculture base spans approximately 130 mu and operates under a "fishery-solar互补" model that combines fish farming with solar power generation. According to Liao Shengjian, the base's manager, the facility currently raises roe prawns, hairy crabs, and small lobsters. These crustaceans are nocturnal by nature, preferring to stay underwater during the day and becoming active along the shores at night. Over the past few evenings, the team has been conducting trial catches ahead of the official market release.

In each harvesting zone, Liao skillfully pulled up the trap nets to assess the size of the catch. Most of the prawns and lobsters have already grown to the length of an adult palm. Typically, roe prawns reach marketable size at around one liang (50 grams), while small lobsters are ready when they exceed one liang. It is expected that within just over a week, they will reach optimal condition, perfectly timed for the Mid-Autumn Festival. The hairy crabs are also showing good fat content, with limited quantities expected to hit the market during the holiday period.

Liao noted that local merchants have already placed orders, though a small portion will be reserved for retail sales at market prices. Meanwhile, the second phase of the project, covering an additional 100-plus mu, is about to break ground, with plans to expand production and supply more high-quality, fresh aquatic products to the local community.