Mud Crab Fisheries in the Sundarbans Area, Bangladesh: A Potential Livelihood of the Vulnerable Coastal Communities | Chapter 9 | Current Approaches in Science and Technology Research Vol. 7

 This chapter describes the current state and future prospects of coastal communities' participation in the mud crab fishery. Mud crab is one of the most important fisheries products, ranking third among Bangladesh's fisheries commodity exports. Sixty percent of the crabs exported come from the Sundarbans' mangrove forests. The country earns approximately US$ 45 million from the export of 10,000MT of live mud crab. The coastal zone accounts for 32% of the country's land area, and >80% of the coastal area is suitable for brackish water aquaculture. Despite the fact that shrimp is the primary coastal aquaculture product, massive disease outbreaks threaten production and producers' livelihoods. Thus, shifting to mud crab culture provides an opportunity for marginalized farmers to avoid the risks associated with shrimp farming. Crab farming has the potential to become the most important alternative livelihood option for the coastal population. Furthermore, while recent coastal disasters (such as SIDR and AILA) have had devastating effects on coastal ecosystems and significantly altered coastal communities' livelihood patterns, Many of the remaining waterlogged areas are easily converted to mud crab aquaculture. If the country can spread modern farming techniques and inspire local communities, the mud crab industry can thrive quickly and compete with shrimp for the highest-ranking fisheries commodity to export.

Author(s) Details

Prof. Md. Sherazul Islam
Department of Fisheries and Marine Bioscience, Jashore University of Science and Technology, Jashore 7408, Bangladesh.

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