Ranching, stock enhancement and restocking are management approaches involving the release of wild or hatchery-bred organisms to enhance, conserve or restore fisheries. The present study, conducted from April 2002 to November 2005, evaluated the effectiveness of releasing wild and hatchery-reared (HR) mud crabs in the mangroves of Ibajay, Aklan, Philippines where preliminary studies demonstrated declining fishery yields, abundance and size of crabs. Comparison of survival and growth of wild-released and HR Scylla olivacea and HR Scylla serrata demonstrated the effect of nursery conditioning, size-at-release and species differences. Overall yield and catch per unit effort (CPUE) increased by 46% after stock enhancement trials. Recapture rates of released crabs were highest in wild-released S. olivacea and in crabs measuring 65.0-69.9 mm carapace width (CW) and lowest in non-conditioned HR S. serrata. Growth rates were highest for conditioned HR S. olivacea and lowest for conditioned HR S. serrata (11.7 and 3.7 mm month −1 respectively). Fishing mortality was highest for S. olivacea, whereas natural mortality was greater for S. serrata. Conditioning hatcherybred animals before release is also important in obtaining higher survival. S. olivacea was the more appropriate of the two species for release in mangrove habitats inundated with low-salinity water. However, there is a need for site-specific studies to evaluate the effectiveness of releases.

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Natural populations of global inshore fisheries are coming under heavy pressure, primarily due to overexploitation and habitat degradation. Stock enhancement of hatchery-reared seeds is perceived as an alternative strategy to enhance the regeneration process. The Aquaculture Department of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center in the Philippines has been implementing activities related to stock enhancement of donkey's ear abalone (Haliotis asinina), mud crabs (Scylla spp.), giant clam (Tridacna gigas), and seahorses (Hippocampus spp.). Seed production techniques for abalone including a diet tagging method were established, and juvenile abalone were released and monitored in a marine protected area. Mud crabs conditioned before release had higher recapture rates compared to the non-conditioned crabs, which can be translated to higher survivorship. Giant clams stocked at 8-10 cm shell length have high survival 4 mo after stocking (90%), with initial mortalities occurring within the first few days due to transportation stress. Seed production trials for seahorse have begun.

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1. Small-scale fisheries are an important element of the ecosystem goods and services that mangrove habitats provide, especially to poorer coastal communities that rely most on natural resources, and have similar values to payments for ecosystem services (PES) under carbon-trading schemes.2. In advance of fishery-enhancement trials for the mud crab Scylla olivacea, a mark-recapture study was conducted to estimate population size and turnover in 50 ha of isolated mangrove on Panay Island, Philippines. A total of 811 crabs were released in six sessions with an overall recapture rate of 41.5 AE 3.6%. Population size ranged from 607-1637 individuals.3. There was a high degree of site-fidelity, with 45.5% of recaptures in the same sampling areas as releases. Total mortality was 0.79 month -1 , with fishing mortality accounting for 95% of overall mortality. 4. Von Bertalanffy and Gompertz growth models yielded estimates for L 1 (carapace width) of 117.3 AE 14.7 and 110.6 AE 2.1 mm and for k of 2.16 AE 0.74 and 3.25 AE 0.81, respectively. Crab densities of 12-33 individuals ha -1 in the study area were lower than in other mangrove systems owing to intermittent recruitment, while growth rates indicated no limitation in terms of food supply.5. The study demonstrates that in specific mangrove habitats that are below carrying capacity, there is potential for fisheries enhancement to sustain or increase direct economic benefits from mangrove ecosystems and hence promote community engagement in broader conservation and PES initiatives.