Significance of mangrove–mudflat boundaries as nursery grounds for the mud crab, Scylla paramamosain

Community-Based Technology Transfer in Rural Aquaculture: The Case of Mudcrab Scylla serrata Nursery in Ponds in Northern Samar, Central Philippines

“…Nonetheless, the high survival (68 %) of crablets in a mangrove pond compared to a non-mangrove area (50 %) suggests that mangroves played a role in mudcrabs' endurance. This confirms that mangroves are part of portunid crabs habitat in its life cycle (Walton et al 2006;Ellison 2008;Primavera et al 2010). Mangrove habitat provides essential nursery beds, feeding areas, and shelter for a large variety of marine and estuarine biota (Ellison 2008).…”

“…A nursery system using the wild crablets from the area was necessary to produce steady supply of stocking materials for culture and fattening. Developing sustainable small-scale mudcrab aquaculture was considered a potential livelihood option for the coastal dwellers (Walton et al 2006) and mitigates environmental degradation. This paper examines the socioeconomic impact of mudcrab culture on smallholder mudcrab growers and the technology transfer mechanism of mudcrab pond nursery in Northern Samar.…”

Characteristics of Scylla spp. (Decapoda: Portunidae) and Their Mangrove Forest Habitat in Ngaremeduu Bay, Republic of Palau1

“…observed mangrove crabs in the hollow stems of large, spreading S. alba trees in Kosrae that were often far from the shoreline. Presence of S. alba may be an important feature for S. serrata and perhaps for S. olivacea as well, which apparently constructs and uses permanent burrows (Walton et al 2006b). …”

“…The small incidence of species other than S. serrata in 2004 suggested that other mangrove crabs are either much less common or were not sampled adequately by our trapping effort. For instance, S. olivacea may become resident in the mangroves as it grows larger and may prefer the lower salinities farther upriver (Walton et al 2006b). Because both S. olivacea and S. paramamosain are more common in mangroves exposed to lower salinity, our traps may have been too close to the mouth of the estuary to obtain a larger sample.…”

“…For instance, studies in South Africa (Robertson and Piper 1991) and Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia (Benstead et al 2006, Bonine et al 2008, provide information on S. serrata where it is known to be the only species. Differences in growth rates, habitat preferences, and responses to exploitation are now available for overlapping populations of S. paramamosain and S. olivacea in Vietnam (Walton et al 2006b, Le Vay et al 2007) and Thailand (Overton and Macintosh 2002) and for S. tranquebarica, S. olivacea, and S. serrata in the Philippines (Walton et al 2006a). …”