USMS RESEARCH ON MUD CRAB HELPS MOTHER NATURE AND THE COMMUNITY

=;5[ZM[MIZKPWVU]LKZIJ
PMTX[5W\PMZ6I\]ZMIVL\PM
KWUU]VQ\a
Crabs belonging to the genus Scylla, commonly known as mud crabs
(and locally known as ketam nipah), are found in tropical, subtropical
and warm temperate areas where they inhabit brackish and saltwater
estuaries or mangrove forests. The mud crab is considered a very
hardy species and is quite resistant to diseases compared to the
prawn or the shrimp.
In mangrove areas, the local shermen use traps to catch the mud
crab and sell them to the market while still alive. The most common
species that has been cultured is Scylla serrata due to its preference
for estuarine habitats, less aggressive behaviour and higher value
1.
Because of their large size, high meat contents and delicate avour,
mud crabs are in great demand and are commercially important
in many Indo-Pacific nations
2
. The mud crabs fetch high prices
depending on their size range. For example, a berried mud crab costs
about RM30-40. Not surprisingly, there is a growing interest in mud
crab farming in the Indo-Pacic region (Keenan, 1999). However, in
Malaysia, the mud crab industry is still not making headway and is
only carried out on a small scale by local shermen.
Ecologically, the life cycle of a mud crab starts in the muddy mangrove
area and during spawning time, a berried mud crab will swim to the
sea and release its eggs. Each berried mud crab will release nearly
three millions eggs per spawning season. During the process of larval
and juvenile development, they eventually return back to their natural
habitats until reaching maturity.
Generally, Scylla serrata is popular in demand as a protein food source
by various communities in China, Vietnam, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong
Kong and also in Malaysia. Due to its delicacy, there is an increasing
demand for this species for food.
Figure 1: Juvenile mud crab
1
Cowan, L. 1984. Crab Iarmin in Japan, Taiwan, and |hc Philippincs.
Inlorma|ion Scrvicc Q184009 QLD DPI pp 85.
2
Kccnan, C.P., 1999. Aquacul|urc ol |hc mud crab, cnus Scvlla-pas|, prcscn|,
lu|urc. In Kccnan, C.P., Blackshaw, A Mud Crab Aquacul|urc and Biolov.
ACIAR Procccdins, vol. 78. ACIRA, Canbcrra, Aus|ralia, pp. 9-1`.
185
Figure 2: Innovative compartment units designed to rear mud
crab from juvenile until market size
MILESTONE
Mud crabs are easily caught in traps or nets set in the mangrove
estuary during low tide. Fishing of mud crabs in the wild can
provide an important source of income to rural communities
(Keenan 1999).
Potential mud crab aqua-farming industry
Currently, mud crab farming has been identied as an emerging
aqua-farming industry. In Malaysia, the mud crab farming covers
the breeding of crablets and rearing of crablets into marketable
size.
Most juvenile mud crabs are collected from their natural habitat
and placed in a pond and fattened until they are of marketable
size. Continuous harvesting of the mud crab population in the wild
will eventually reduce its population without giving a chance for
the mud crabs to reach maturity and to breed.
Uncontrolled shing of juvenile crabs and reliance on wild seed
will lead to the decrease in the population and unavailability of
wild stocks. With these challenges and in order to support the
demand for mud crabs, the Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies
(CEMACS) has initiated a small scale project on the seedling
production of the Scylla serrata (ketam nipah).
The breeding of the mud crab from the larval to the juvenile stage
in the hatchery will be one way to increase the population of mud
crabs and also to support mud crab farming.
The process of seedling production of mud crabs usually takes
place with millions of eggs being hatched into the larval stage
known as the zoea stage. After a few days with enough food
sources, the larvae will develop into the megalop stage and
nally into crablets (juvenile stage) (Figure 1). This process of
development takes about 30 days.
For grow-out, the young crablets will be placed in an enclosure
such as ponds, cages and pens with frequent feeding of trash
sh for a few months until they reach marketable size.
This kind of crab fattening by holding the crab and giving frequent
feeding with trash sh is widely practised by shermen. However,
an innovative design of a compartmental unit with recycling
brackish water system has been developed to make the rearing
of the mud crabs very practical and without having to be near a
mangrove area (Figure 2).
This innovative technique of rearing mud crabs can be carried
out by the local community. A unit of this compartment system of
mud crab rearing is mobile and can be set up at any household
backyard. Subsequent feeding of mud crabs with trash sh
to fatten them will take about 3-4 months before they can be
harvested and sold to the market. This type of mud crab rearing
will be one way to avoid cutting down mangrove areas for the
grow-out ponds; thus the mangrove ecosystem is well preserved.
The mud crab resource is a natural gift to our tropical country
and has the potential to change the socio-economic status
of the coastal communities. The coastal poor shermen and
educated unemployed youths should realise this fact and take
up crab culture or fattening in an eco-friendly way to raise their
economic status.
186