A vocational school in Hubei Province is now offering the country's first degree in "crayfish studies" to train students in an important local industry.
日前，湖北省一所职业学校开设了国内首个“小龙虾”专业，以此在这项当地最重要的产业上培训学生。
Jianghan Art Vocational College's "School of Crawfish" in Qianjiang has so far enrolled 86 students for three crawfish-related courses, the Beijing News reported.
据《新京报》报道，潜江市江汉艺术职业学院“龙虾学院”目前已招收了86名学生，进行三个龙虾相关的课程学习。
Starting September 1, the two-year programs promise coursework in crawfish farming, cooking, marketing and catering management, as well as job placement.
从9月1日开始，这项为期两年的项目承诺进行小龙虾养殖、烹饪、市场营销和餐饮管理方面的职业培训以及就业安置。

"The crawfish industry is ... worth billions of yuan, but we are yet to see an institution specializing in training," Xia Zhongzhi, a recruitment officer at the college, told the paper.
该校招生部工作人员夏忠志向该报透露：“小龙虾产业价值数十亿，但是至今还没有一家专业从事培训的机构。”
The major didn't seem to make the grade among netizens. "The students will soon regret their decision," wrote Sina Weibo user "minzhugg."
不过，这个专业似乎在网友当中不太受认可。新浪微博用户“minzhugg”写道：“这些学生很快就会后悔自己的决定。”
The sentiment was echoed by Chu Zhaohui, a researcher at the National Institute of Education Sciences. "We need to evaluate carefully whether it's necessary for the industry before creating a new major," Chu told the newspaper.
国家教育科学研究院研究员储朝晖也赞同这个观点。他在接受《新京报》采访时表示：“在开设这个新专业前，我们应当详细评估它对于这个产业来说是否必要。”
Valued at 146.6 billion yuan ($21.58 billion), the industry employs over 5 million people, according to data from the Ministry of Agriculture released in June, Caixin reported.
据财新网报道，根据农业部6月份公布的数据显示，小龙虾产业当前价值约为1466亿元（约合215.8亿美元），为500万人提供了就业岗位。