Hairy crabs from Taihu Lake - an autumn delicacy for many Asian people - will be safe to eat despite the algae outbreak there in May, the government said yesterday.

 

"The algae outbreak has not affected the quality of Taihu crabs," the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) said.

 

"The crabs from licensed breeding farms in the eastern part of the lake have grown well and no abnormalities have been discovered," it said.

 

The crabs, many of which will be exported, come from registered breeding farms that have been regularly monitored by local quality supervision, inspection and quarantine teams, an official in Jiangsu said.

 

Taihu Lake yields about 10,000 tons of crabs every year. Famed for the tender meat and tasty yolk, they are exported to Japan, the Republic of Korea and Hong Kong every autumn.

 

Authorities have increased checks in the lake to ensure the quality of the shellfish.

 

(Xinhua News Agency September 5, 2007)