Growth and survival of Mud Crab, Scylla serrata, reared in bottom and floating cages within Mida Creek mangroves, coastal Kenya

Abstract Mud Crab fattening is a relatively new business idea in Kenya and highly lucrative due to the reasonable prices offered at tourist hotels. This study was aimed developing appropriate culture techniques for Crabs maximize harvestable biomass by local communities avoid recruitment overfishing. Growth survival rates mixed sex investigated period of 230 days Mida Creek, Kenya, using bottom floating cages, two feed types crab experiment. attained weight third month both (466.2 ± 137 g) cages (542.2 109.3 g). There no significant difference mean total mixed-sex crabs systems (t = 1.75, p>0.05), however males showed significantly higher gain compared females. A overall rate found cultured (63.8%), (44.9%). growth performance between fed gastropod tissues those fish offal. The long-term specific (0.69 g d-1) not different from that (0.92 d-1). An analysis potential return on investment be more profitable per production cycle ones. cage system mono-sex male are recommended farmers within mangrove tidal flats Kenya.