<Anchor>
off the
coast of the West Sea, spring crabbing is in full swing. It is a pity that the catch is lower than last year, so the price of flower crabs has increased significantly.

I'm a reporter.

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It is a white sand port in Taean,
South Chungcheong.

Crabbing boats cut through the current and enter the harbor one after another.

The fishing window is full of freshly caught crabs in boxes.

The fresh crabs are immediately taken to the Yupanjang and sorted before the auction.

Hands get busy, and the crabs are sorted by size.

[Disaster Prevention Ceremony/Crab Fishing Boat Owner: Spring crabs are crabs that come to the coast to spawn, but their flesh is very full, and they contain a lot of intestines.]

With the return of the crabbing season, the port also became busy.

Spring crabs, which began to be caught last month, have been coming out in earnest since the beginning of this month as the sea temperature rises.

However, the catch is lower than last year.

Off the coast of Incheon, the largest fishing ground in Korea, which accounts for 40% of the nation's crab catch, 5 tons were caught as of the last 722 days, about 55 tons less than the same period last year.

Another crab fishery, Sinjin Port in Taean, South Chungcheong, also saw a 40% drop in catches, presumably due to a decrease in the density of young crab larvae.

[Kim Kyumin/Suhyup Auctioneer: Catch is down and is trading at a higher unit price compared to last year.]

As production prices soar, so does the burden on consumers.

The wholesale price of flower crab at Noryangjin Fish Market in Seoul averaged 1,4 won based on 4 kg of female crab last week, a jump of about 40% from last year.

Spring crabbing continues until the 20th of next month, one day before the snapping season begins.

(Video Interview: Kim Min-chul, Video Editing: Won Hyung-hee)