Scylla Serrata - Aquaculture and Consumption

Aquaculture and Consumption

There has been a huge interest in the aquaculture of this species due to their high demand/price, high flesh content and rapid growth rates in captivity. In addition they have a high tolerance to both nitrate and ammonia (particularly NH₃) (twice that of the similar sized Portunus pelagicus), which is beneficial because ammonia-N is often the most limiting factor on closed aquaculture systems. Their high ammonia-N tolerance may be attributed to various unique physiological responses which may have arisen due to their habitat preferences. However their aquaculture has been limited due to the often low and unpredictable larvae survival. This may be due to inadequate nutrition, disease, "moult death syndrome" (due to their highly cannibalistic behaviour during the megalopa stage), inadequate protocols (e.g. sub-optimal environmental conditions) or a combination of all.

S. serrata can be kept easily in home aquaria when smaller, but will outgrow small setups. They are very active and will eat almost any conventional sinking pellets; they also appreciate some small fish pieces and vegetable matter. They are tolerant of most water conditions and are generally a very hardy and entertaining species.

Generally cooked with their shells on, when they moult their shells, they can be served as a seafood delicacy, one of many types of soft shell crab. Some consider them to be among the tastiest of crab species and they have a huge demand in South and Southeast Asian countries where they are often bought alive in the markets. In the northern states of Australia and especially Queensland, mud crabs are relatively common and generally prized above other seafood within the general public.

Mud crab can be killed humanely by placing them in a freezer for up to two hours before cooking.