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Exploitation of Marine Swimming Crab in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

Bikram Jit Roy
Marine Fisheries Survey Management Unit, Chittagong, Bangladesh

Nripendra Kumar Singha
Marine Fisheries Survey Management Unit, Chittagong, Bangladesh

S. M. Hasan Ali
Marine Fisheries Survey Management Unit, Chittagong, Bangladesh

Md. Gaziur Rhaman
Marine Fisheries Survey Management Unit, Chittagong, Bangladesh

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

Bangladesh is rich in biological diversity. Among the marine species, crab is one of the important commodities which earn foreign currency for the country. The harvesting of swimming crab could play an important role in enhancing protein production, foreign currency earnings and internal trade development. It could also help to create employment opportunities for the unemployed and underemployed fishermen in the coastal areas at Shahparir dwep, Teknaf sadar, Shamlapur, BFDC fish landing center and Moheskhali in Cox’s Bazar district for five to six months. The crab harvesting is a new alternative livelihood and have a great prospect in Bangladesh; however, it has not yet been established in the country. Crab export was started in the country in 1977-78 and became a stable business in 1982 and ranked third among frozen foods that were exported for earning foreign currency. In 2008 total commercial crab production was 1,319,953 metric tons (MT) in the world (FAO 2008). In the year 2009-2010, the total crab production of Bangladesh was 7707.70 MT which is less than 1.0% of the world crab production; Total exported quantity was 6347.70 MT from which the total earnings of foreign currency was 3758.8 million taka and exporting countries were China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Mainly three crab species mud crabs, Scylla serrata; three spot swimming crabs, Portunus sanguinolentus and blue swimming crabs, Portunus pelagicus are exported from Bangladesh. Among them blue swimming crabs are costly and great demand in the international market for its quality meat. Present studies indicate that the tendency of the female crabs grows relatively heavier and higher number than the males under the family Portunidae, which is in conformity with the earlier observations in P. pelagicus and P. sanguinolentus.

Keywords: Crabs, Marine species, Mud crabs, Cox's Bazar, Crabs swimming

Location: Shahparir dwep, Teknaf sadar, Shamlapur, BFDC fish landing center and Moheskhali, Cox’s Bazar district, Bangladesh

Start Date:

End Date:

Program Area: Socio-economic and Policy

Commodity: Crab

Objectives:

To assess the feasibility of swimming crabs exploitation and marketing system, local community participation and interest, crab harvesting, and sustainable utilization of these resources.

Methodology:

The samples and data were collected from five landing centers at Shahparir dhip, Teknaf sadar, Shamlapur, Moheskhali and Cox’s Bazar BFDC landing center in Cox’s Bazar district. More than 500-600 numbers of boat typically 8.0-9.0 meters long and 2.13 to 2.50 m wide and having engine horse power (hp) ranging from 20 hp-22 hp engaged for marine crab fishing. The numbers of fishermen on each boat were 6-7 and active fishing per month was 25-27 days. The crabs exploiting boats were going away 4.0-4.5 hours from the shore of the west side of Teknaf and all are engaged for daily fishing. The most common type of commercial fishing gear for the swimming crab species is Jew fish or Croaker fish catching net which is monofilament modified small mesh drift gill net (SMD). The total length was about 3000-4000 m, depth from 2.75 to 3.57 m, and mesh size of 5.0-5.2 cm. Another type of crab fishing gear was crab pot, which was a rectangular bamboo-made trap with two entrances and height was 60 cm and width 40 cm; it was used in bottom and fixed with a rope. This crab pot was used as a gear by less than 5% fishermen. And sometimes the carbs were caught incidentally by the marine set bag nets and trawl nets. The swimming crab species are harvested commercially mainly in the full moon period by artisanal fishing. Sampling was carried out around the year by the Marine Fisheries Survey Management Unit, Chittagong. But, the main harvesting period of swimming crab was from March to August. The study was based on total landing of questionnaire survey, information through a sample survey among crab aratders (depot owners/ assemblers) and crab collectors where five crab aratders were conducted. The collected data were processed and analyzed using Microsoft Excel. The highest total landing of the swimming crabs was 23.480 MT in BFDC landing center and the lowest was 8.520 MT in the Shaparir dwep during the same period. The maximum and minimum landing of the swimming crabs were 6.00 MT and 0.500 MT, respectively between May and August 2011. The ghatwise maximum and minimum landing were 2.82 MT and 0.50 MT, respectively at Shaparir dwep between May and August; 4.35 MT and 2.60 MT, respectively at Shamlapur during May and August; 6.00 MT in May and 2.20 MT in August, respectively at BFDC landing center; 2.80 MT in May and 0.50 MT in August, respectively at Moheskhali landing center; 3.400 MT in May and 1.12 MT in March 2011 at Teknaf sadar. Aratders (depot owners) usually buy crabs and sell them after grading. Usually, five grades are selected for blue swimming crabs as XL, L/LM, M/MM, SM and SSM which represent the weights in grams of 500+, 400+, 300+, 200+ and 100+, respectively. And for three spot swimming crabs, the grades were FF1, F1, F2 and F3 that represent the relative weights in grams of 200+, 180+, 150+ and 100+, respectively. In case of blue swimming crabs the first four grades and for three spot crabs the first three grades are bought from the collectors and prepared for sale. Crabs are landed mainly as a by-catch of trawlers. Indigenous gears, such as gill nets and traps are also used to exploit the resource and mostly caught from a depth of about 10-60 meters. Crabs can be caught during all twelve months, but become inactive in winter when water temperature falls below 10-13ºC.

Source of Information: Bangladesh J. Zool. 40(2): 241-245, 2012

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

Present studies indicate that the tendency of the female crabs grows relatively heavier and higher number than the males under the family Portunidae, which is in conformity with the earlier observations in P. pelagicus and P. sanguinolentus.

Knowledge Management: Journal