WUHAN, May 11 (Xinhua) -- An international crayfish festival will be held in the city of Qianjiang, central China's Hubei Province, between June 15 and 18, the organizer said.

The event will include an opening ceremony, investment activities, crayfish-related seminars and meetings on e-commerce of aquatic products.

Before and after the festival, Qianjiang will also hold a variety show, famous dishes selection activity and crayfish-related design contest.

Native to North America, crayfish were brought to east China's Jiangsu Province by a Japanese merchant in the 1920s or 1930s. They appeared on the plain in central China about 30 years ago, and villagers found the shellfish tasty and turned them into big business.

As more people warm to crayfish, the provincial government of Hubei has emphasized in their annual government work report that it would promote the Qianjiang crayfish industry since 2018.

Led by Qianjiang, the crayfish industry in Hubei has seen fast growth in recent years. The total value of the crayfish-related industry exceeded 10 million yuan (around 1.5 million U.S. dollars) in 2018, up 20 percent year on year, according to Li Shuibin, director of Hubei provincial authority for aquatic products.