FAo Mud Crab Farming Manual

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Free FAO Mud Crab Farming Manual

In 2011, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) published a 78-page manual on mud crab farming.

The manual, the first FAO aquaculture manual on this genus, showcases the current information on mud crab farming from key nations in the Asia-Pacific region where research, industry development and technology on mud crab farming has accelerated in recent years. It contains contributions from all the major organizations and research teams involved in mud crab farming, along with information from numerous workshops and conferences on crab fisheries and crab farming. Farmers, scientists, fisheries professionals, business owners, information specialists and technicians also added their knowledge to the manual so that it covers everything from basic crab biology to growout, packaging and marketing.

Mud crabs are among the most valuable crab species in the world, with the bulk of their commercial production marketed live. There are four species of mud crab (pictures below) that are the focus of both commercial fisheries and aquaculture production: Scylla serrata, S. tranquebarica, S. paramamosain and S. olivacea. Scylla serrata is the most popular of the farmed species. The four species have slightly different life cycles, so farmers may have to adapt the manual's recommendations to their local species and climate.

There are many ways to grow mud crabs. They can be grown from wild or hatchery-produced seedstock, on extensive or intensive farms, alone or in polyculture with other aquaculture species, and in mangrove forests, ponds and cages. While mud crab farming based on collection of juvenile crabs from the wild has probably taken place for hundreds of years, hatchery production is a relatively recent innovation and receives extensive coverage in this manual.

Compared to many other species that are the subject of industrial scale aquaculture, mud crabs can still be considered to be at an early stage of development. The use of formulated feeds for them is still in its infancy and little work has been done to improve performance through breeding programs.

Table of Contents:

Part 1 – Biology

Taxonomy and Genetics

Distribution

Local Distribution

Global Distribution Patterns

Life history

Behavior

Cannibalism

Migration and Movement

Ecology

Feeding

Anatomy

References and Further Reading

Part 2 – Site Selection

Planning

Environmental Considerations

Socio-Economics

Logistics

Hatchery

Growout

Ponds

Mangrove Pens

Silviculture and Canal

Cellular Systems

References and Further Reading

Part 3 – Basic infrastructure

Water

Power