Inducing The Ovarian Maturation of Orange Mud Crab, Scylla olivacea

Currently, the mud crab aquaculture industry relies completely on the wild-caught seedlings and gravid female crabs, rendering the large-scale rearing process of S. olivacea as difficult. In addition, due to decreased juveniles in the wild, the mud crab industry remains at a slower growth compared to other species. A constant availability of seedlings are required to overcome this problem. Unlike shrimp culture, mud crab culture lacks established techniques for gravid female production in captivity. In the wild, gravid female crabs usually burrow themselves until egg spawning process are completed. During that time, female crabs rarely unearth themselves to feed. Therefore, the requirement of gravid female S. olivacea for hatchery spawning is essential and becomes an important aspect for future development of mud crab culture. By achieving this, the pressure posed by obtaining wild gravid female crabs are reduced and renders culture techniques successful to obtain sustained supply of mud crab seedlings and larvae. This book shows on how to induce the maturation of the S. olivacea ovary through hormones administration and the effects from the induce method.