Mud crabs

The rapid growth and high market value make the mangrove crab a candidate for culture in American Samoa. Currently, one family is culturing mangrove crabs in net cages in estuarine waters. The success of the production facility is largely due to the use of local knowledge. The development of an intensive operation requires a better understanding of the nutritional needs of crabs under intensive conditions. Trash fish is a standard source of supplemental nutrition when stocking densities reach 10 kg/m². However, as the operation grows, a more reliable source of nutrition will be needed. Once again, technical assistance and research on behalf of Sea Grant and other organizations will be needed to help promote the growth of this industry.