MUD CRAB Scylla serrata FATTENING

Two decades of scourging shrimp industry by white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) has now been budged towards the diversification of other candidate species like mud crabs. The fattening of mud crabs one of the recent activities where the fattened crabs are having high export value. When compare to crab culture, the crab fattening process is simple and the fattening duration is short (35-40 days) and it is being done in cages and pens. In the present attempt, the mud crab (Scylla crab) fattening in MGR Thittu (Lat.11º29' N; Long. 79º46' E) near Parangipettai has been studied as a case report. The water crabs (post molt) crabs were procured from the Pichavaram mangrove regions and also from other areas of east coast in India especially Andhra Pradesh. The parameters like growth, water crab availability; feeding, chronic mortalities during fattening have been recorded. The economic evaluation of the enterprise has also been studied.