Green crab fetches Rs 800 per kg, mud crab Rs 200-300 per kg in world markets
The green crab. (Photo: DC)
Kakinada: A small village, Pedavalasala, home to 500 families, supplies live crabs to the international market. Though fishermen in other villages like as Gadimoga, Pedaboddu Venkatayapalam, Chinavalasala, Chinaboddu Venkatayapalem, Chollangi, Seetharamapuram and others catch crabs, most of the fishermen in Pedavalasala village depend upon crabs for their livelihood.
Nearly 200 to 300 fishermen in country boats venture into mangroves during night to capture the live crabs and return to the shore the next morning. The fishermen bring the live crabs to Kakinada to sell it to exporters.
“The exporters, in turn export the live crabs to East Asian countries like Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore where the people relish live crabs,”said the Fisheries Development Officer T.Vijaya Bharathi who has done research on mud crabs in Scylla Serrata Fishery in Coringa Mangroves. She said that the fishermen hunt mainly for two varieties of crabs named ‘Green Crab’ and ‘Mud Crab’
The Green Crab, which is yellowish in colour fetches a high price of Rs 800 per kilo and the mud crab for Rs 200 to Rs 300. According to fisheries department sources, nearly 120 tonnes of live crab is being exported per year from Kakinada coast.
Peethala Suresh, one of the fishermen capturing live crabs said that live crabs were being exported in bamboo baskets, in 15-20 kilos. The crabs are transported in bamboo baskets so that there is enough air circulation for them to breathe. The crabs live for five to six days in the bamboo baskets. He said that each green crab weighs three to four kilogram.
The mud crabs are caught from holes on the shores of mangroves and green crabs, known as swimming crab in sea waters and also along the seashore.The fishermen appealed the the government to provide good market prices and grading centres for crabs.
Senior biologist Dr. Sathiya Selvam said that there are 34 varieties of species of crabs in marine as well as mangroves in Kakinada coast. Out of which, 19 varieties of crabs were available in mangroves.
( Source : dc correspondent )
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