Crab resources and prospects for crab culture

INTRODUCTION \tand Daniel (1971), no information is available on the \t \n\tabundance and exploitation of commercially important \t \nThe average annual crab landings during 1975-1981 from the Indian coast are 21,310 tonnes, forming \tspecies from these Islands. \t \n10.4 % of the total crustacean landings. Rao et al. (1973) \t\t \nhave estimated the total crab resources of the Indian \t\t \nseas at 43,000 tonnes, and nearly half of the estimated \tOBSERVATIONS \t \nresources are at present being exploited. Out of 8 species of edible crabs listed by Rao et al. (1973), Scylla serrata (Forsskal), Portmus pelagicus (Linnaeus) and P. sangutnolentus (Herbst) have been the principal species in the exploited fishery along the coasts of the country. Except for the faunistic records of these edible crabs from Andaman and Nicobar Islands by Alcock (1899), Chopra (1935), Sankarankutty (1961) and Premkumar \tData on the type of gear employed, species of crab exploited, estimated catch on the day of observation an catch trend in earlier period were collected during th present survey carried out in January-April 1978 Fig. 1 gives the characters for identification of the loca species of crabs. A key for field identification of th species is given in the Appendix.