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Researcher: Dipak Kamal
The mud crab (Scylla olivacea) is one of the
highly valued mangrove resources of Bangladesh after
shrimp. Approximately 3.5 million people live within
25 km impact zone of the Sundarban Reserve Forest (SRF)
and about 10,000 local poverty groups are involved in
mud crab harvesting in this area. Therefore, development
of mud crab culture technology using juvenile crabs
in Bangladesh would be a new income generating option
to millions of income-poor people. This research is
being conducted with the major objective of developing
an appropriate technology for small-scale mud-crab culture
using juvenile crabs through active participation of
income-poor women and jobless youths in a selected fishing
village within the impact zone. The specific objectives
are: 1) to develop awareness among group members on
various aspects of mangrove ecology and biodiversity,
mud-crab biology, ecology, culture, and marketing; 2)
to build capacity of the group members to participate
actively in mud crab seed survey and in developing mud
crab culture technology; 3) to assess the availability
and seasonality of mud crab seeds in local rivers/canals
through active participation of group members; 4) to
develop technology for mud crab (Scylla sp.)
culture in small pens and cages using juvenile crabs
and low cost feeds; 5) to evaluate socio-economic feasibility
of small-scale mud crab culture in pens and cages. Two
action research groups consisting of three poor women
and three jobless youths will be formed to conduct two
experimental trials---one for estimation of stocking
density and the other for determination of suitable
low cost feeds--- for the development of mud-crab culture
technology will be carried out in small pens and cages
for a period of ten months. Development of small-scale
mud-crab culture technique using low cost feed can be
a good avenue for generating a new alternative income
option for the local poverty groups living within the
impact zone of the SRF. The successful application of
the project will increase the household level income
of the poverty groups and will also earn significant
foreign exchange for the country.
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