Species Use Database

Red swamp crayfish
Procambarus clarkii

Used for Food and feed in Hubei

A. Species

Scientific name: Procambarus clarkii

Common name(s): Red swamp crayfish

Global IUCN Red List Threat Status: Least Concern


B. Location of use

Geographic location(s):

  • Hubei

Country/Region: China / Hubei Province.


C. Scale of assessment

Scale of assessment: Sub-national / Sub-region / Sub-State

Name/Details of location: Jianli City / rural villages on surrounding farmland (112◦35′ E− 113◦19′ E and 29◦26′ N − 30◦12′ N)


D. Timescale of use

Start Year: 2000

End Year: 2019


E. Information about the use

How is the wild species sourced?: Wild species sourced from the wild but reared/cultivated in a managed site

Type of use: Extractive

Practice of use: Ranching, farming or cultivation or wild species

Lethal or non-lethal: Lethal

Does this use involve take/extraction of: The whole entire organism

Purpose(s) of end use: Food and feed

Motivation of use: Income generation from trade (individual/household/community) and Largescale commercial exploitation for trade

Is this use legal or illegal?: Legal under national law


F. Information about the Users

Which stakeholder(s) does the record primarily focus on?: Local people and National / local private sector


G. Information about the sustainability of use

Is there evidence that the use is having an impact on the target species?: Wild species sourced from the wild but reared/cultivated in a managed site

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an ecological perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable

Details of assessment carried out: This study: land-use change in RCF combined with remote sensing and geospatial data analysis was used to look at the extent of farming.

Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Crayfish production has increased from 6,700 tonnes in the early 1990s to over one million tonnes in 2017. This agricultural practice has environmental benefits.

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an economic perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable

Details of assessment carried out: This study

Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: This study used a multiscale geographically weighted regression model that showed that the RCF development in Jianli City showed an overall uptrend between 2000 and 2019. The area of RCF in 2019 had expanded by 599.95% from 2015 levels (from 10,350 ha to 72,445 ha). These extensively expanded RCFs were mainly converted from paddy fields and are distributed around the water area. In terms of socioeconomic benefits, the economic income of villagers increased, whilst the number of out-migrant workers decreased. RCF development effectively contributed to regional economic growth and reduced rural depopulation, thereby facilitating rural transformation from traditional agricultural to characteristic agriculture. The study concludes that RCF had a positive impact on the socioeconomic development of this rural region, thus providing evidence for formulating targeted rural revitalisation policies to achieve rural sustainability. A rice paddy-crayfish farming system that is designed to be symbiotic. Compared with rice monoculture, RCF allows diversified production of rice and crayfish and it has been regarded as sustainable agriculture. The study explains that RCF his increasingly important for regional ecology due to its impacts on nutrient use efficiency, soil quality, biological diversity, water quality and greenhouse gas emissions. However, RCF has not only natural characteristics but also socioeconomic characteristics, which are closely related to sustainable development, livelihoods and well-being in rural areas. It also plays a role in the industrial structure, production mode, food culture and employment opportunities in rural areas. RCF farming improves the comprehensive development of rural areas, contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by generating economic and social benefits. RCF is capable of contributing to agricultural diversification, maintaining farmers’ livelihoods and enhancing economic income.

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a social perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable

Details of assessment carried out: This study

Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: This study used a multiscale geographically weighted regression model that showed that the RCF development in Jianli City showed an overall uptrend between 2000 and 2019. The area of RCF in 2019 had expanded by 599.95% from 2015 levels (from 10,350 ha to 72,445 ha). These extensively expanded RCFs were mainly converted from paddy fields and are distributed around the water area. In terms of socioeconomic benefits, the economic income of villagers increased, whilst the number of out-migrant workers decreased. RCF development effectively contributed to regional economic growth and reduced rural depopulation, thereby facilitating rural transformation from traditional agricultural to characteristic agriculture. The study concludes that RCF had a positive impact on the socioeconomic development of this rural region, thus providing evidence for formulating targeted rural revitalisation policies to achieve rural sustainability. A rice paddy-crayfish farming system that is designed to be symbiotic. Compared with rice monoculture, RCF allows diversified production of rice and crayfish and it has been regarded as sustainable agriculture. The study explains that RCF his increasingly important for regional ecology due to its impacts on nutrient use efficiency, soil quality, biological diversity, water quality and greenhouse gas emissions. However, RCF has not only natural characteristics but also socioeconomic characteristics, which are closely related to sustainable development, livelihoods and well-being in rural areas. It also plays a role in the industrial structure, production mode, food culture and employment opportunities in rural areas. RCF farming improves the comprehensive development of rural areas, contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by generating economic and social benefits. RCF is capable of contributing to agricultural diversification, maintaining farmers’ livelihoods and enhancing economic income.

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a human health perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable

Details of assessment carried out: This study

Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Safe and reliable food source cultivation method.

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an animal health/welfare perspective been recorded?: not recorded

Details of assessment carried out: This study

Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Not recorded


Recommendations provided in the record to maintain or enhance the sustainability of the use of the target species

The study advocates for RCF as an important and sustainable practice in rural development as a new agricultural system.


Record source

Information about the record source: scientific_pub

Date of publication/issue/production: 2022-01-01T00:00:00+0000

Source Reference(s):

Chen, Y., Yu, P., Chen, Y., & Chen, Z. (2022). Spatiotemporal dynamics of rice–crayfish field in Mid-China and its socioeconomic benefits on rural revitalisation. Applied Geography, 139, 102636.

Date of record entry: 2022-12-09