A Review of the Nursery Culture of Mud Crabs, Genus Scylla: Current Progress and Future Directions

The nursery stages of mud crab, genus Scylla, proceed from the megalopa stage to crablet instar
stages. We review the definition and several of the key stages in mud crab nursery activities. The practice
of the direct stocking of megalopa into ponds is not recommended due to their sensitivity. Instead, nursery
rearing is needed to grow-out mud crabs of a larger size before pond stocking. Individual nursery rearing
results in a higher survival rate at the expense of growth and a more complicated maintenance process
compared with communalrearing. The nursery of mud crabs can be done both indoors or outdoors with
adequate shelter and feed required to obtain a good survival percentage and growth performance. Artemia
nauplii are still irreplaceable as nursery feed, particularly at the megalopa stage, while the survival rate
maybeimprovediflive feed is combined with artificial feed such as microbound diet formulations. Water
quality parameters, identical to those proposed in tiger shrimp cultures, can be implemented in mud crab
rearing. The transportation of crablets between different locations can be done with or without water. The
provision of monosex seeds from mudcrab hatcheries is expected to become commonplace, increasing
seed price and thus improving the income of farmers. Numerous aspects of a mud crab nursery including
nutrition; feeding strategies; understanding their behaviour, i.e., cannibalism; control of environmental
factors and practical rearing techniques still need further improvement.