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Henry’s Island to be home to mub crabs soon

In a bid to increase export quality crabs, the State Fisheries Development Corporation (SFDC) is all set to culture mud…

Henry’s Island to be home to mub crabs soon

Henry’s Island

In a bid to increase export quality crabs, the State Fisheries Development Corporation (SFDC) is all set to culture mud crab in South 24- Parganas’ Henry’s Island.

“The pilot project will start within this month and the imported crab samples have already arrived in Kolkata,” said Mr Bijan Mondal, general manager, SFDC.

The fisheries department has imported 100 crabs for now at the cost of Rs 250 each. Female crabs are more costly and much more in demand because of the eggs, he stated.

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Crabs can be best cultivated in brackish water, as per the officials, and hence they have decided to cultivate it in Henry’s Island because of its proximity to the sea.

SFDC has imported 200 plastic boxes for cultivation of the crabs. The crabs will be stored in a perforated box which would be kept on wooden frame structures that would stay afloat attached to bamboos, explained Mr Mondal.

Food will be given through the holes on the box, pointed out an official. According to Mr Mondal, there is huge demand for mud crabs in the international market which will attract foreign currency.

As per the fisheries’ reports, Bangladesh earns about US six million dollars every year by exporting live mud crabs to Singapore, Hong Kong, China and Taiwan. The increase in the production of the crabs is believed to boost export because of the huge demand.

“An adult crab generally weighs 300 to 600 gms; we will try to grow it up to the adult age for better revenues,” said Mr Mondal. Mud crabs, being aqua-terrestrial fauna, are found in the Sundarbans mangrove ecosystem.

“Every year, fishermen get killed by tigers in Sundarbans when they venture into the forests in search of the mud crabs. With the success of the project in Henry’s Island, we will begin the project in Sundarbans and other places,” said Mondal.

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