In the small city of Ushuaia in southern Argentina, the local king crab has always been a favorite among foodies. Today, due to factors such as overfishing and climate change, the number of king crabs in Ushuaia is decreasing year by year.
Ushuaia is the capital of the province of Tierra del Fuego in southern Argentina, where the local king crab is famous. On some of the main streets, many restaurants offer king crab as their signature dish, and almost every visitor to Ushuaia comes in to try it. However, since this year, king crab has not been seen on the menus of some restaurants.
Reno Dillon, owner of a restaurant in Ushuaia, Argentina: Now, in Ushuaia, some restaurants are removing king crab-related dishes from their menus because they can't buy king crab.
According to the Associated Press, the overfishing of king crabs in Ushuaia continues due to lax management of the local fishing industry. Since the 70s of the last century, the number of this species has been decreasing year by year. In addition, Argentine marine scientists say that climate change has also adversely affected king crabs as a result of changes in the temperature and pH of the seawater.
Paula Sotrana, Marine Scientist, National Council for Scientific and Technological Research, Argentina: Climate change means higher sea temperatures and acidification, and our research in the lab shows that these factors have a big impact on the crab fry of king crabs.
In order to save the king crab, the Argentine government has increased investment, under the premise of ensuring that the ecological environment is not damaged, the development of artificial breeding, the king crab seedlings are artificially cultivated and reproduced, and then put into the sea when the conditions are ripe, hoping to change the declining trend of the number of king crabs.
(CCTV Finance)