Orange mud crab (Scylla olivacea) exploitation at Sorong waters

Abstract

Mangrove forests along the vast coast of West Papua serve as the habitat for mud crabs, which are high-value economic resources marketed to various regions in Indonesia. However, intensive utilization impacts the sustainability of mangrove crab populations, especially orange mud crabs (Scylla olivacea). Exploitation studies need to be conducted for further use to manage crab resources. This study was conducted for six months, from April to September 2021, with a sample of 2,971 orange mud crabs. Data analysis was carried out using crab carapace width (CW) data to predict resource exploitation and sustainability. The caught orange mud crab size was 80-190 mm, with natural mortality (M) lower than fishing mortality (F). The exploitation of this crab has attained E = 0.72, which proves that overfishing. We can do the management of orange mud crabs by observing the size of mature gonads and spawning areas to provide an opportunity to increase the population in the waters.