On the 5th, the first Benizuwai crab auction of this season was held at the fishing port in Kami Town, Hyogo Prefecture.
The ban on Chionoecetes japonicus fishing in Hyogo Prefecture was lifted on the 1st of this month, and 27 tons of bright vermilion Chionoecetes japonicus were landed at the Kami fishing port on the 5th and lined up at the auction site.
Then, when the auction started at 6:30 am, the middlemen bid off one after another, and the highest price was 500,000 yen per animal, the highest price ever.
The characteristic of Benizuwai crab is that it is fresh and sweet, and recently, more and more people are ordering it through hometown tax payment or mail order and enjoying it at home.
Yoshitaka Fukumoto, chairman of the Hyogo Prefecture Benigani Association, said, "I'm worried that good prices will continue as inns and restaurants are closed, but I want many people to enjoy it."
The Benizuwai crab fishing at Kasumi Fishing Port will continue until the end of May next year.