Culture of Scylla serrata megalops in brackishwater ponds

Abstract

Three- to five-day old hatchery-reared megalops (4.0 to 6.4 mg body weight) of the mud crab, Scylla serrata, were cultured to the juvenile stage in 20 m² net cages installed in brackishwater nursery ponds. To establish a suitable stocking density, megalops were stocked at 10, 20, and 30 ind·m^-2 in net cages. Treatments were replicated three times over time. After 30 days of culture, mean survival of juveniles ranged from 48.3 to 53.3% and did not vary significantly (P > 0.05) among the three stocking densities. Similarly, the mean final body weights of juveniles ranging from 2.91 to 3.40 g and mass weights 458.9 to 1066 g did not significantly differ among stocking densities. These results show that stocking of crab megalops directly in net cages in a brackishwater pond is feasible at any of the stocking densities tested.