我國進口龍蝦消費飆升 一年吃掉7.5億元

China's appetite for lobsters is continuing to rise, driving imports from the US to a historic high.

中國人對龍蝦的需求正持續增長，推動從美國進口的龍蝦總量創下歷史新高。

Most Chinese had barely heard of American lobsters until 2010, when the value of imports jumped 250% to about $7.4m.

2010年，中國從美國進口龍蝦的價值額飆升250%，達到740萬美元左右。而此前，大部分中國人對美國龍蝦幾乎聞所未聞。

Last year, China imported more than $108m worth of lobsters from the US, a 14-fold jump from 2010, and recorded a historic high.

去年，中國從美國進口了價值逾1.08億美元的龍蝦，較2010年增長14倍，創歷史新高。

Stephanie Nadeau, who owns a lobster company in Maine, said that she believes one of the factors driving the consumption of lobsters in China seems to be the growth of the country's middle class.

緬因州一家龍蝦公司的老闆斯蒂芬尼·拿度表示，她認爲推動中國龍蝦消費飆升的因素之一似乎是中國中產階層的壯大。

Also, American lobsters tend to be cheaper in China than other seafood, such as geoduck clams and spiny lobsters, Nadeau added.

此外，與象拔蚌、大螯蝦等其他海鮮相比，美國龍蝦在中國的價格往往更便宜。

In the new year, China's consumption of lobsters has not shown a slowdown. The US exported 1.7m pounds of lobsters to China in January, with a value of $14m.

在新的一年，中國的龍蝦消費絲毫沒有減速跡象。今年1月，美國對中國的龍蝦出口量達到170萬磅，出口額達到1400萬美元。