Pinpoint crab breeding season to protect industry

A group of Khulna University scientists yesterday said the government should properly identify the peak breeding season of mud crabs based on scientific evidence, to protect mother crabs and halt the industry's decline. 

At present, harvesting crabs from the Sundarbans, a prime natural source for catching the crustaceans, is banned in January and February, they said at a roundtable discussion at The Daily Star Centre.

However, March-April is the peak breeding season of mud crabs at the location, they said, referring to their study report.

Abundance of fully mature mother crabs can be seen from late February to late April. Alongside March and April, February should also be included in peak breeding season to protect mother crabs, they added.

CARE Bangladesh and The Daily Star, with support of Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, arranged the roundtable on "Prospect and Challenges of Crab Cultivation: Policy Perspective".

In 2017-18 fiscal, Bangladesh exported about 11,000 metric tonnes of crabs and earned around Tk 217 crore in foreign currency. Some three to four lakh people are directly and indirectly involved in the crab industry, from harvest to export, according to the report.

Prof Yousuf Ali of Khulna University's fisheries and marine resource technology discipline said in 2013, 32,000 metric tonnes of crabs were caught from natural sources. That number dropped to 25,000 metric tonnes in 2016.

Placing a ban on catching crabs during peak breeding season is an effective way to ensure appropriate spawning and migration of mud crabs, he added.

Prof Abdur Rouf, head of the discipline, said understanding crab's life cycle is important for the industry to flourish.

"If we harvest mother crabs, it will be a big loss," he said.

Jahidul Kabir, conservator of forests of the Department of Forests, said the findings can be an authentic document based on which the department can undertake initiatives to change existing policies on crab export.

Demand of crab in foreign countries -- especially in China -- remains high during the year's beginning, said Gazi Abul Kashem, chairperson of Bangladesh Live and Chilled Food Exporters Association.

The price also stays high at that time, he said.

Belayet Hossen -- divisional forest officer of Sundarbans East Division, Bagerhat -- said some 242 crab farms have been registered in the area since 2001. However, only 64 of those are operational now.

Sundarbans West Division Forest Officer Bashirul-Al-Mamun said crab harvesting from natural sources have increased since 2017.

The coronavirus outbreak has reduced crab export from the Sundarbans significantly, said SM Mahbub Alam, coordinator of NGO-based initiative Nowabenki Gonomukhi Foundation.