Articles for Blog

Calubian is a municipality located in the northern part of the province of Leyte, Philippines (Annex 1) with a territorial land area of 138 sq. km. and a population of 29,9451. It is composed of 53 barangays or villages. Economically speaking, it is classified as a 4th class municipality1 (1st class being the wealthiest) because it has had an average annual income of 20M to 30M pesos for the past 3 years. It is considered one of the poorest municipalities in the country. According to the National Statistical Coordination Board (http://www.nscb.gov.ph/panguna.asp), Calubian ranks in the top 10 of municipalities with the highest incidences of poverty in the province of Leyte2 (Appendix II).

Calubian faces the progressive Biliran Strait of the Province of Biliran. It is a coastal municipality with a mangrove front where the main sources of livelihood are farming and fisheries3. Fishing as a source of livelihood in Calubian is highly dependent on the amount of fish that can be caught in the wild and is not a sustainable way to earn income. And since the produce are usually sold at the local market, the income of fishermen are very low (P2000/month)4. There is a need to find a source of livelihood that is both high income-generating and which can be marketed outside the municipality.

The goal of this project is to improve the living standards of the poor fishing communities in Calubian, Leyte and provide a sustainable economic future for them through the implementation of a sustainable low-cost mud crab fattening culture. The mangrove should also be rehabilitated because it serves as a breeding area for mud crabs and many varieties of fish, and a sanctuary for bird species.

C. Benefits of Mud Crab Farming

Mud crab (Scylla serrata, giant crab) farming originated in China more than 100 years ago and spread across Asia only in the last 40 years5. It has traditionally been a small scale activity and its requirement for coastal mangrove areas limited mud crab fishery to coastal, artisan style fishing common within the Indo-West Pacific area. Mud crab farming has proven to be quite a profitable venture as a family level occupation as long as there is a constant seed supply from the local fishery.

Mud crab production in the Philippines showed an increase of 16% in 2008 compared with 20076. The Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) reported that a good market demand for brackish water species such as mud crab and an increase in stocking and availability of fingerlings in Leyte in the first half of 20087 were the reasons for this increase.

According to the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR), there are many advantages of culturing mud crabs:

1. Mud crab is a high-value species and its culture can significantly increase the income of rural coastal communities.

2. The technology required to culture crab is relatively uncomplicated (this refers mainly to ponds and pens) and can be easily disseminated to farmers.

4. The mud crab has an international market (e.g., the restaurant trade in Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Taiwan) therefore the culture generates much needed foreign exchange.

5. Unlike exotic species, the mud crab is indigenous to the Indo-West-Pacific, therefore its market trading system is already well established within the region from fished mud crab products. The transition to also include farmed crab will be relatively easy.

6. Transportation of mud crab is very simple. Individually tied mud crabs are transported in damp conditions in baskets from the pond to the market place. Moreover, crabs can be transported and stored in this way for three to
four days.

These advantages make it an ideal venture for a coastal municipality like Calubian. Fishermen sometimes catch wild mud crabs but these are few and far between (personal observation of proponent). However, it is a sign that mud crabs can grow in the brackish, mangrove-covered coastal front of the municipality. The availability of fingerlings in Leyte also means the municipality has easy access to its source of mud crabs.

D. Project Activities

Two mud crab fattening pilot projects are ongoing in two villages, Brgy. Cabalquinto and Brgy. Ferdinand Marcos (Appendix IV). Initial capital to provide training for the villagers, build the pens and buy the crablets and fingerlings were provided by the proponent.

Several problems were encountered in the initial project implementation. These include:

1.Unsecured pens enabled some mud crabs to escape;
2.When male crabs reached maturity, cannibalism occurred;
3.The constant supply of feeds (trash fish and other seafood) were not secured;
4.The timing of the feeding was not properly observed.