Mud Crab (Scylla spp.) Aquaculture in the South-West Sundarbans Region of Bangladesh

Abstract

Mud crab ( Scylla spp.) aquaculture has become an important livelihood option for the coastal fisher-folks in B angladesh. Mud crabs harvested from wild sources are traditionally fatte ned in pens installed in tidal rivers, ghers , and earthen ponds in Bangladesh. The study was ai med at understanding the practice and production economics of mud crab farming in the South-West Sundarbans region of Bangladesh, and was conducted in the areas namely Bagerhat, Satkhira an d Khulna districts where mud crab fattening are predominately ventured. Most of the farmers fatten both male (lean) and female (gonadally immat ure) crabs of 100 - 180 g. The crabs are stocked at varying rate (12 - 641 g/m 2 ), and fed at the rate of 8-10% of body weight with trash live fishes, dri ed fishes, snails, mollusks, and cattle viscera. The fattening for a mean cycle of 22 ± 14.34 days has the survival rate of 55 - 90%, and has the production of 0.065 ± 0.26, 0.084 ± 1.33, and 0.17 ± 3.76 kg/m 2 in Bagerhat, Satkhira, and Khulna, respectively. After harvesting (mostly part ial), crabs are sold at average price rate of 4.35 ± 0.45 US$/kg. The lowes t production cost (3.14 US$/kg) and the better economic return (US$ 147.77) per cycle was recorded in the district of Satkhira. The mud crab fattening has hitherto