MONOCULTURE OF MUDCRABS (Scylla serrata) IN BRACKISHWATER PONDS FED WITH GOLDEN APPLE SNAIL (Pomaceacanaliculata)

Minerva I. Morales; Roberto B. Barba Jr.

Volume : IV, Issue : VIII, August - 2015

MONOCULTURE OF MUDCRABS (Scylla serrata) IN BRACKISHWATER PONDS FED WITH GOLDEN APPLE SNAIL (Pomaceacanaliculata)

Minerva I. Morales, Roberto B. Barba Jr.

Abstract :

Mudcrabs (Scylla serrataForskall) were cultured in a ackishwater pond at the stocking density of one per square meter. Golden apple snail (kohol) was given as feed at 10%, 8%, 6% and 4% of the total pond biomass, which was adjusted every sampling period of 30days interval. Feeds were given by oadcasting. Results of the study showed effective utilization of kohol as feed for mudcrabs, with a feed conversion value of 1.2. Monoculturedmudcrabs fed with kohol had 55% rate of recovery. Daily growth increment of the crabs was at 2.5 grams in weight; 0.271 mm in carapace length and 0.651 mm in carapace width. It is implicated that a hectare of ackishwater pond devoted to the monoculture of mudcrabs will use about 2, 277 kilograms of snail to produce about 1,897 kilograms of crabs. Economic valuation, given the prevailing local price, will yield a gross income of about P113, 820/hectare per cropping cycle concomitant to the control and eradication of snail population infesting the croplands.