A team of scientists of the Central Institute of Brakishwater Aquaculture (CIBA), Chennai, on Saturday introduced the ‘crab fattening technology’ through floating cages to the Yanadi tribal families to help the latter grow Mangrove Crab ( Sylla serrata ) in Sorlagondi Reserve Forest area in Krishna District.
As a part of the ST Sub-Plan, the CIBA has taken up a pilot project to provide the technology support to the selected ten Yanadi tribal families in Sorlagondi village. The project will be expand it to the other eligible beneficiaries in the State, later. As a part of the programme, scientists-- K. Ambasankar, J. Syam Dayal, C.P. Balasubramanyam and M. Kailasan--demonstrated the use of cages to Yanadi tribal families who are engaged in hunting of the crab in the estuary. The scientists also provided them 1,000 seed of Asian Seabass that would be cultivated in the ponds in the tribal area.
“Crab fattening technology helps the hunters raise young and soft crabs until they grow to a certain hardness at which it would fetch remunerative price in the market. However, barely two to three weeks are required for a soft crab to become hard one,” Mr. Bala Subrahmanyam told The Hindu .
According to experts, crab is being sold at Rs. 1,200 a kg in the India’s biggest crab market Chindradripet in Chennai. From Chennai, it is being exported to South East Asian countries. “The CIBA aims at promising better livelihood option to tribal families by moulding them into entrepreneurs,” said the scientists.
New technologyYanadi tribal families of Sorlagondi Reserve Forest hunt mangrove crab in estuary, backwaters and brackish water, largely in mangrove forests. They completely rely on local market in Nagayalanka. The CIBA scientists also began a detailed study on the catch of the crab in a bid to estimate its population roughly before introducing next stages of technology in crab fattening.
