Storms and flooding in the provinces of Jiangsu and Anhui in early July are expected to push up the price of hairy crabs this year, local fishery experts predicted yesterday, Shanghai Daily reported.

While hairy crab season won't arrive in earnest until September, crabs weighing less than 100 grams have begun to arrive in local markets. The price of those crabs has increased by 10 to 20 percent over last year.