Mud Crab (Alimango) Culture in Pond

and in Mangroves
April 4, 2008 by Leo 6,454 Views

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Among the larger species of crabs that are known to

be of commercial value in the Philippines are the Neptunus pelagicus (alimasag) and the
Scylla serrata . Both belong to the swimming crab family Portunidae, but the latter has
been an incident product of brackish water fishpond.

Occasionally, juveniles are collected in tidal flats and marshes and stocked in fishponds,
but usually at their own accord. The recent years, over fishing, of Scylla serrata has
threatened the fishery, industry so possibility of culturing them in ponds was given
attention.

Biology of Mud Crab

Mudcrab is a swamp crab that spawns in the sea but the larvae are carried by tide along
the seashore. Juveniles migrate to the tidal flats and marshy lands along rivers. It
becomes sexually mature in the first year of its life after the female undergoes the
precopulatory molt which cannot be readily distinguished from ordinary molting. At this
stage the abdomen of the female changes from its triangular shape into broad rounded
form.

Mudcrab spawns throughout the year with a peak season for about four months staring
from the last week of to the third week of September. As early as April, the stage
precopulatory molt which cannot be readily distinguished from ordinary molting. At this
stage the abdomen of the female changes from triangular shape into broad rounded form.

During spawning season, the fertilized eggs get out of the ovary and attached to the
pleopods where they hatch within a few weeks. The eggs hatched into a planktonic zoea.
After passing through several zoea stages and a single megalopa stage within about a
month, the larvae metamorphose to benthic juvenile crabs that are found crawling in the
shallow areas.

The mudcrab is a voracious feeder. It crawls on the pond or seabed searching food or
may also be seen swimming on the surface hunting for food. They feed on natural food,
such as: algae, decaying animals, crustacean, or decaying matter.
Suitable Crab Farm Site

Mudcrab prefers brackish water ponds with no less than one meter depth of water. It is
the usual practice of fishpond operators to stock mudcrab juveniles in newly constructed
or partially developed fishponds, although they are also cultivated in developed ones. In
fully developed fishponds, some operators placed hollow-blocks along the dikes to
prevent the crab from burrowing along the dikes thus causing leakages. These blocks
serve as refuge or hideouts when not actively feeding.

Generally, the most suitable places for mudcrab culture are underdeveloped fishponds
with numerous high mounts and submerged region which the animal can take shelter.

Culture Method

The culture of mudcrab in the Philippines is only incidental to bangus culture, except in
not fully developed fishponds. Young crabs or juvenile stages are allowed to enter in the
pond during high tide when water is admitted to the fishpond. In some cases, seeds are
purchased from fry collectors or fishermen with size ranging from 2 to 7 cm along the
length of the carapace.

They are caught by scissors nets (sakag) along the sandy shores. Young crabs when
purchased have no pinchers as they are removed for ease of handling and to prevent them
from fighting or hunting each other during transport. This is no problem, whatsoever,
because they have ability of regeneration and other pair of pinchers will grow within
three weeks after stocking in the ponds.

Pond Management

As previously mentioned, mudcrab are usually cultured along with bangus, the pond
management employed is primarily for milkfish. In developed fishponds, where alimango
is solely cultured not much preparation on growing the natural food is done but water
freshening is made during high tide.

In ponds, alimango aside from feeding on the natural foods can be given artificial feeds
like trash fish, kitchen refuse, by products of slaughters houses and other feeds of animal
origin.

Harvesting

Alimango reared in ponds, if properly fed can reach marketable size in six months.
Alimango are usually harvested using different kinds of traps like “bintol” or liftnets
baited with meat or small fish or shrimp or by bare hands. Only the big ones are
harvested and the smaller ones are set free in the ponds to attain bigger sizes.

MUD CRAB CULTURE IN MANGROVE

Over the years, commercial production of mudcrab (Scyllaspp.)Has been undertaken only
in bamboo – or net-fenced brackish water ponds. Its feasibility was proven trough a series
of verification trials conducted in commercial ponds by SEAFDEC/AQD researchers and
is now practiced elsewhere in the country.

Of late, the introduction of using net enclosure to grow mudcrabs in mangroves or tidal
zone offers a bright prospect in aquasilviculture. Using mangroves as a natural resource
paves the way for creating livelihood among the fisherfolk in the coastal areas. While this
method is not very popular in the Philippines, as it ha only recently been introduced, the
same has been carried out for quite some time in Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and China
successfully. The advantages of this livelihood option include low investment cost, easy
construction, easy operation and it is environment- friendly. Site selection.

Mangrove areas should have a sufficient supply of marine or brackish water throughout
the year. Water depth at high tide should range between 0.8 to 1.0 m. Salinity should
range between 18 to 30 ppt and temperature between 25 to 30°C. The site must be free
from any source of pollution, protected from environmental hazards such as typhoon,
flood erosion and from vandals and poachers. Materials

• 6 rolls of green polyethylene (PE) net, 1-2 mesh size and 2 mm twine diameter
• 2 rolls of plastic sheets
• 30 pieces of bamboo (10-15m) for structural framework (horizontal
bracing)Wooden posts, 3-4m long (vertical post)

Net enclosure – 4,000 sq m (50 m x 80 m) Constructing a Pen

1. Design the enclosure with a shape that varies from square, rectangular, etc.
depending on the contour and vegetation of the area. The manageable area ranges
from 0.2-1.0 ha.
2. Install a net enclosure (polynet 1-2 cm mesh size) using bamboo or wooden of the
net should extend not less than 30 cm above the waterline during the highest high
tide level.
3. Along the top edge of the net enclosure, install a plastic strip/sheet of about 50cm
to prevent mudcrabs from climbing over the top. Embed the lower and of the net
about 50-70 cm along the base of the enclosure.
4. Dig ditches/puddle trenches (libaong) at a depth of about 20-40 cm representing at
least 20 to 30 percent of the total area of the enclosure. These are intended to hold
water in the enclosed area during the lowest tide for the crabs to withdraw and
take refuge. Avoid cutting the main roots of the mangroves during digging.
5. Install catwalk around or perpendicular to the enclosure for ease in feeding and
monitoring the stocks during high tide.

Rearing Operation – Transplanting Mudcrab Juveniles for Grow-out Culture

Mudcrab juveniles for stocking are normally placed in bamboo wicket baskets
(bakag/kaing) or in plastic/padan (bayong) bags during transport. A pandan bag can carry
about 150 to 200 pcs of 20-50 g of juveniles.

Place fresh mangrove leaves inside the basket or bag to reduce the temperature, serve as a
cushion and prevent juveniles from fighting each other. Do not cut or remove the
chelipids or pincers of young juveniles below 30g so they are protected from stress or
infection, which could cause mortality.

However, juveniles weighing more than 30g must have their pincers tied using strips of
soaked coconut sheath (suwak) or plastic straw. Sprinkling them with brackish water
during transport or storage keeps them alive and active.

Stocking and Acclimatization

Before stocking, ensure that the enclosure is cleared of debris, unwanted species and
predators. Check nets all around for possible holes or scouring. Stock monosize mudcrab
juveniles weighing 30-50g per piece or measuring 5-10cm (capable length) at the
recommended rate 5,000 – 10,000 per ha.

Stocking must be done in early morning or late in the afternoon when the temperature is
cool and the tidal water is available.

Before releasing the juveniles, place them inside plastic basins and sprinkle with seawater
until they are completely submerged for about 1 hour. Make sure that crabs have adopted
to the pen water temperature and salinity before releasing them.

During stocking, tilt the basin to allow crabs to crawl out freely. Cut the ties on pincers
before releasing them.

Feeds and Feeding

Feeds comprise 40-60 percent of the total cost of production. Chopped trash fish, animal
hides or entrails, mussel meat and snails (golden apple snail) are cheap and effective
locally available feeds for mudcrab culture.

Broadcast feeds evenly everyday, using half the total feed in the morning between 6-
8a.m. and the other half in the afternoon between 4-6 p.m.

Feeding rate is 10 percent of the average body weight per day. Reduce the feed by 1
percent and adjust monthly down to 5 percent up to the end of the culture period.

Stock Sampling
Take a stock sample every 30 days, using bintol or bamboo traps, to determine the
growth and feed requirement. Take 30-50 crabs samples and measure their increase in
body weight and carapace size.

Pen Management

Monitor the crabs for feed consumption, swimming behavior, presence of berried female
crabs, etc. Inspect enclosure daily for destruction debris, scouring and torn nets where
stocks could possibly escape. Secure them against possible poachers by making routine
inspections of the area, especially during the night.

Harvesting

Partial harvesting is done when mudcrabs reach marketable size of 200g and above. This
could start, at the earliest, after 45 to 60 culture days.

Handpick the crabs during low tide and/or by catching those using baited traps like bintol
during high tide. Fat crabs are detected by pressing the abdomen. The presence of
gonands (orange mass called alique) indicates fat female crabs. Fat male crabs have
massive pincers.

Total harvest may be done after 4-6 months of culture. Tie the pincers of newly-harvested
crabs using plastic straw or suwak before transporting them to the market.

Mudcrabs sold in restaurants are 350g and above. Prices vary with markets and seasons.

Marketing

In all cases, mudcrabs are marketed live. In the Philippines, female crabs with mature
gonands are relatively expensive. Mudcrabs are sold in market year-round, but generally,
those found in domestic markets are grouped in mixed sizes and are smaller than
exportable crab. Usually during the Christmas season, the price is relatively high because
of the increased demand.

The major market for the Philippine mudcrab is Taiwan, Hongkong, Guam, Japan and the
USA. Other markets include Singapore, Brunei, Germany Korea and neighboring
countries. Taiwan has been the biggest buyer of mudcrab from the Philippines the trading
pattern of maudcrab industry throughout the Asia region involves a series of
intermediaries between the fishermen/supplier and the local consumers or exporter.

For more information, contact:

Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)

PCA Building, Elliptical Road, Diliman, Quezon City
Tel. Nos. (632) 929-8074 / 929-9597
Email :bfarmfdc@bfar.gov.ph
Web: www.bfar.gov.ph

photo from seafoodtreasure.com