Occurrence of rubber debris in the gut of orange mud crab Scylla olivacea from the Ramsar site Vembanad Lake, southwest coast of India

Abstract

India's mud crab fishery chiefly depends on wild capture, harvested year-round, In Kerala, the inland crab fishery depends on Scylla serrata and Scylla olivacea. Vembanad Lake contributes significantly to the crab fishery with landings of S. serrata and S. olivacea, an economically important species in the live export market from the country. Out of the twelve guts of S. olivacea examined, from a male crab with ¾ fullness and 2.75 g weight had found some other material apart from food items. Ten small pieces of elastic material weighed 0.755 g and filled almost half of the gut. The test results confirmed that the materials found in the gut of the crab were identified as natural rubber. Contamination in the digestive tissue of the crab has direct implications for the population in the region, as it is used as food in and around Vembanad Lake.