Preliminary study of seed production of the micronesian mud crab scylla serrata (Crustacea: Portunidae) in Korea

Abstract

Seventeen females of the mud crab Scylla serrata, from the State of Kosrae, Micronesia, were transported to the Fisheries Resources Research Institute, Gyeongsangnamdo, in oxygen-filled plastic bags. After acclimatization to a 30oC holding temperature, nine females were selected for seed production trials. Spawning was hastened using eyestalk ablations; however, this may not be required in commercial-scale mud crab seed production. Primary spawning produced an average of 2.4 million hatched larvae, whereas secondary spawning produced 0.4 million. About 10 days elapsed between spawning and hatching and 30 days between hatching and crablet. Mass mortalities up to 90% were observed between stages zoea 1 and zoea 2 in every trial. The highest survival rate from zoea 1 to crablet was estimated at 0.25%. Most commercial shrimp hatcheries in Korea are equipped with almost all necessary facilities and could be converted easily to mud crab hatcheries, able to run three to four times per year using hatchery technologies developed for blue crabs and Chinese mitten crabs.