Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Crab banks buoy marine fisheries yields

Crab banks buoy marine fisheries yields

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
There are nearly 30 active crab banks in Kep and Cambodia’s three other coastal provinces. MINISTRY OF INFORMATION

Crab banks buoy marine fisheries yields

Provincial fisheries officials have said the development of crab banks in community fisheries has gradually boosted marine crab output.

Crab banks are where pregnant crabs are stored until their attached eggs hatch. Members of fisheries communities who catch pregnant crabs are obliged to sell them to the crab banks. Once hatched, the zoea larvae are released back into the sea.

Kampot provincial Fisheries Administration director Sar Sorin said there are currently four active crab banks in his province, which have substantially contributed to meeting daily demand for the marine crabs.

Prior to their establishment, he said some 100 fishing boats would converge on the four sites and fishermen would catch around a tonne of crabs with bamboo traps.

But now 200 fishing boats congregate at the crab banks and net up to three tonnes daily, he added.

“Since we installed the [first] crab bank in 2008, crab yields have doubled and we can fish in all seasons throughout the year. We collect horse crabs with eggs and release them into the egg-laying site. On average, we collect about [500 crabs weighing] 40kg per month,” Sorin said.

Preah Sihanouk provincial Fisheries Administration director Em Phea told The Post that an average of 50kg of pregnant crabs are released into the province’s eight active crab banks.

The crab bank system has catalysed a steady surge in crab yields in Preah Sihanouk, he said without providing specific data but noting that a survey was in the pipeline.

While aquaculture yields in Preah Sihanouk increased significantly this year, marine fisheries output will be slightly lower than last year’s level, he lamented.

Pheng Chhay, president of the Samros Koh Sdach fisheries community in Koh Kong province, said a crab bank was set up at his fishery last month, in the hopes that marine crab production among the community would enjoy annual growth each year.

He said: “With a crab bank at our disposal, we expect crab yields in our community to climb up going forward.”

Each boat of crab bank members brings in three pregnant crabs per day on average, he said, noting that there are 60 there now.

“We take the female crabs with eggs so that they may disperse their larvae, and then we release them back to the sea to ensure that fisheries yields do not fall down the line,” Chhay said.

The crab bank system has been in play since 2008 and is implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries’ Fisheries Administration and a number of NGO partners.

According to Sorin, there are nearly 30 active crab banks in the four coastal provinces – Kampot, Kep, Preah Sihanouk and Koh Kong.

Cambodia exported a total of 1,730 tonnes of fisheries products in the first nine months of this year, down more than 84 per cent year-on-year from 10,980 tonnes, ministry figures show.

MOST VIEWED

  • Five-year-old Hanuman dances his way into hearts of Cambodia

    A young talent from a new-established settlement has emerged, captivating the online world with his mesmerising performances of the traditional Cambodian monkey dance. Roeun Kakada is a five-year-old prodigy who has taken the social media sphere by storm with his exceptional dance skills and dedication

  • Fresh Covid warnings as Thai hospital fills

    A senior health official reminds the public to remain vigilant, as neighbouring countries experience an increase in Covid-19 cases, with the latest surge appearing to be a result of the Omicron XBB.1.5 sub-variant. Or Vandine, secretary of state and spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health,

  • Honda shutters Siem Reap football club

    Japanese football legend Keisuke Honda, the owner of Siem Reap football club Soltilo Angkor FC, has been forced to shut the club down, after it failed to attract sponsorship for the upcoming season. Honda, the former manager of the Cambodia men's national football team, said

  • Hun Sen warns of regional tensions

    ASIA is becoming a dangerous geopolitical hotspot, with several countries announcing that they intend to send naval vessels towards Southeast Asia and on to the South China Sea, warned Prime Minister Hun Sen. “Heated geopolitical issues can easily escalate, namely to war. I am not

  • PM declares ASEAN Para Games open

    The 12th ASEAN Para Games officially kicked off on the evening of June 3 at Morodok Techo National Stadium in Phnom Penh, with a spectacular opening ceremony featuring fireworks and performances by some of the Kingdom’s most accomplished talents. Tens of thousands of sports fans

  • Waterway job still pending for Kampot tourism port’s opening

    The search is still on for a contractor to expand and deepen the Kampot International Tourism Port’s waterway and deliver additional enhancements allowing safe access for larger vessels, nearly a year after the main construction work on the 4.25ha site was completed on June 30, 2022.