Study on growth, survival and intactness of sub-adult to adult mud crab aquaculture under low saline earthen pondsin the coastal areas of Bangladesh

Abstract

To assess the growth, survival and intactness of mud crabanexperiment was conducted for a period of 120 days from July to October 2021 in the farmers ponds of Betbunia village under Paikgacha upazilla at Khulna Districts, Bangladesh. The crab Juvenile was collected from adjacent Shibsha River and stocked in a pond of 0.01 ha area with the stocking density at 1 m2,2m2, 3 m2in T1,T2 and T3 treatments with 2 replications each. Fresh choppedtilapiafish was fed and the feed was adjusted periodically in accordance with the growth performance. Production and physico-chemical parameters were recorded and analyzed according to standard methodsduring the culture period. Among these parameters salinity has significant (p<0.05) role on survival of mud crab.After 120 days of rearing, obtained average final weight was 97.8±13.86g, 94.22±9.25gand 117.77±14.34g; with the estimated yield of 371.56 kg/ha, 433.12 kg/ha and 376.56 kg/ha, survival was 38%, 46% and 32% in T1, T2 and T3 treatments respectively.Results and findings of the present study suggested that poor salinity level and cannibalism is the potential constraints inthe growth, survival and intactness of mud crab aquaculturein the coastal areas of Bangladesh.