1. MUD CRAB CULTURE

2. MUD CRAB CULTURE Advantages of mud crab culture:
Rehabilitation of fisheries
Use of abandoned shrimp ponds for crab culture
Possible to supply prescribed product ( e.g. size, sex, maturity stages, soft shelled crabs) specifically catering to consumer demand
Weaknesses:
Absence of proper technology
High labour and production cost
Lack of seed stock and commercial crab farms.
Species suitable for culture:
Scylla serrata
Scylla tranquibarica
Scylla oceanica

3. Scylla serrata
Scylla tranquibarica
Scylla oceanica

4. Culture methods
site free from pollution, year round brackish water supply
Best salinity is 18-30ppt, temperature 25-30°C
Rectangular ponds 0.5 to 1 ha with water depths m
Shelters - to hide during moulting
Canals and trenches also serve as hide outs
The ponds are drained and dried; Piscicides are used to remove unwanted fish
To prevent crabs from escaping the ponds by crawling over bunds, install nylon net fencing of 1-2 mesh close to the perimeter of the ponds
Install plastic sheets along top edge of net fence.
nylon net fencing

5. Introduce water to a depth of 0.6-1.0m
One to two weeks after water culture stock the ponds with juveniles of size 30-40g at the rate of per ha
Stock the ponds at the rate of 120 juveniles per square meter
Feed with trash fish/Acetes
Sort the stock every week and stock 5cm juveniles in grow-out ponds.

6. Exchange 10-30% water every spring tide
Feed - chopped trash fish, animal waste, snails 10% biomass initially and gradually reduce to 6% as culture progresses-twice a day in morning and evening
Monitor and maintain optimum water quality.
crabs >250g - Selective harvest using scoop nets or traps
After 3-5 months when all the remaining crabs have attained marketable size harvest totally by draining the pond and hand picking of crabs.