CAPTURE AND CULTURE OF BLUE SWIMMING CRAB …policy formulation to further develop the blue swimming...

114 วารสารชมชนวจย ปท 11 ฉบบท 2 (พฤษภาคม - สงหาคม 2560)

บทคดยอ งานวจยครงนมวตถประสงคเพอศกษาการเปลยนแปลงการผลตและการตลาดของการท�าประมงปมา

ทผานมาและการพฒนาอตสาหกรรมในการเลยงปมาประชาการและกลมตวอยางไดแกเกษตรกรผเลยงปมา

ในจงหวดสมทรสาครและจงหวดสราษฎรธานจ�านวน5ฟารมเกบขอมลแบบเฉพาะเจาะจงใชการสมภาษณ

เชงลกเปนขอมลระหวางป 2545-2555 เครองมอทใชคอการวเคราะหตนทนและผลตอบแทน (Cost and

benefits)และขอมลทตยภมระหวางป2533-2555เพอใชในการวเคราะหเชงพรรณนาพบวาปรมาณการจบ

ปมาในประเทศไทยประมาณ 14% เปนผผลตรายใหญล�าดบท 3 ในอาวไทยปรมาณปมาทจบไดลดลงจาก

30,402ตนในปพ.ศ.2533เปน24,741ตนในปพ.ศ.2555เนองจากไมมการควบคมเครองมอการท�าประมง

ปมาเชนขนาดตาของอวนและลอบปซงเปนเครองมอหลกในการท�าประมงปมาอาจจะน�าไปสการใชประโยชน

เกนขนาดของการท�าประมงปมา ดานการเลยงปมาในพนท 5 ไรตอรอบการผลต ปรมาณการผลตทงหมด

เทากบ2,700กโลกรมราคาของปมาทเลยงประมาณ80บาทตอกโลกรมส�าหรบขนาด10-12ตวตอกโลกรม

รายไดรวมทงหมดเทากบ 216,000 บาท ตนทนรวมเทากบ 143,070 บาท และไดรบก�าไรสทธเทากบ

72,930บาทในปพ.ศ.2555ปรมาณการเลยงปมาทพบแค35.2ตนในพนทการเลยง44ไรมการสงออกป

ไปในตลาดสหรฐอเมรกาซงมมลคาสงสด ระบบการตลาดทผานมามชองทางการจ�าหนายจากชาวประมงปมา

ไปยงผสงออกอยางไรกตามการเพมขนของความตองการการบรโภคปมาเปนทชวดในดานราคาปมาทแพงขน

ส�าหรบตลาดในประเทศและการใชประโยชนเกนขนาดของทรพยากรปมาสงผลใหการเลยงปมาไดรบความสนใจ

จากชาวประมง และเปนปจจยหลกในการสนบสนน สงเสรมใหมการเลยงปมาตลอดจนภาคอตสาหกรรม

ทจะสามารถเพมความตองการปมาในกระบวนการแปรรปการผลตผลการศกษาครงนสามารถใชเปนแนวทาง

ในการก�าหนดนโยบายและการจดการของการท�าประมงปมาตอไป

ค�ำส�ำคญ:การจบ,การเลยง,ปมา

การจบและการเพาะเลยงปมาในอาวไทยCAPTURE AND CULTURE OF BLUE SWIMMING CRAB

FISHERIES IN THAILAND

เบญจวรรณ คงขนBENJAWAN KHONGKHON

เรองไร โตกฤษณะRUANGRAI TOKRISNA

เพญพร เจนกำรกจPENPRON JANKARNKIJ

มหำวทยำลยเกษตรศำสตร

KASETSART UNIVERSITY

กรงเทพมหำนคร

BANGKOK

115 NRRU Community Research Journal Vol.11 No.2 (May - August 2017)

ABSTRACT Thisstudywasconductedtodescribechangesinproductionandmarketingofblue

swimmingcrabfisheryinThailandovertheperiodandhighlightrecentdevelopmentinthe

industryinparticularthecultureofblueswimmingcrab.Samplesofthisstudywerefarmers

from5farmswhoraiseblueswimmingcrab inSamutSakhonandSuratThani.Datawere

specificallycollectedbyin-depthinterviewsregardingthedatafrom2002-2012.Thetoolsof

this studywere Cost-benefit Analysis and Secondary data from1990-2012 for descriptive

analysis.TheglobalcaptureproductionoftheblueswimmingcrabinThailandcontributed

14%landingmakingitthethirdlargestproducer. IntheGulfofThailand,quantityofblue

swimmingcrabcaughthadbeendeclinedfrom30,402tonsin1990to24,741tonsin2012.

Therewasnoregulationforfishinggearofblueswimmingcrabfisherytolimitmeshsizeof

gillnetandcrabtrapwhichwerethemain fishinggearsofblueswimmingcrab.Thiswas

probablyduetotheover-exploitationofblueswimmingcrabs.Blueswimmingcrabpond

culture for 5 rai/cropwas totally 2,700 kg harvest. Price of blue swimming culturewas

80baht/kgforaveragesizeof10-12crab/kg,totalrevenuewas216,000baht,totalcostwas

143,070bahtandnetbenefitwas72,930baht.In2012,quantityofblueswimmingcrabculture

wasfoundat35.2tonswithculturearea44rai.Ahigh-valuecrabexport includedUnited

Statesmarket. Themarketing system passes through a number of channels from blue

swimming crab fishers and farmers toexporters.However, increaseddemand in theblue

swimmingcrabconsumptionwasalsoreportedasaproblemindicatingtheexpansiveprices

in the domesticmarket and over-exploitation of blue swimming crab stocks. There is a

growing interest among farmers for blue swimming crab culture. Themain factor for

promotingthecultureofblueswimmingcrabsandtheindustryistheincreasingdemandfor

blueswimmingcrabintheprocessingfactory.Theresultsofthestudycanbeusedforpolicy

implicationregardingblueswimmingcrabfisheryandmanagement.

Keywords:Capture,Culture,blueswimmingcrab

INTRODUCTION InThailand,blueswimmingcrabs(Portunuspelagicus)werefoundalongthecoastsof

theAndamanSeaandtheGulfofThailand.About89%ofthecatchesfromtheGulfofThailand

(DepartmentofFisheries,2012).Theblueswimmingcrabhashighvalueandincreasingdemand.

Itisusedfordirectconsumptionandusedasarawmaterialintheindustry’sprocessing.The

localassemblymarketscollectedblueswimmingcrabs fromfish landingandfurthersold

themtothelocalmarketsormerchantsinordertodelivertoterminalmarkets.Localmarkets

arelocatedincommercialareasofeachprovincewhereconsumersboughtblueswimming

crabs;livingones,frozenones,saltedones,andcrabmeats.


Thailandhasbeenexportingblue swimmingcrabproducts to foreigncountries.An

annualreportfromtheDepartmentofFisheries,indicatedthat,in2012,theexportvalueof

crabproductswasat2,435millionbaht,61%wasinairtightcontainers,22%wasfreshchilled

orfrozen,12%waspreparedorpreserved,andtherest5%wassteamedboiledsalteddried

orsmoked.

Thelandingsofblueswimmingcrabobtainedhadbeendecreasedenormouslyduring

1990-2010.AccordingtoDepartmentofFisheries(2012),in1990,thecatchwas30,402tons,

comparedto14,262tons in2010.Thiswasprobablyduetotheover-exploitationofblue

swimmingcrabs.ThemainfishinggearofblueswimmingcrabintheGulfofThailandwere

crabgillnet,crabtrap,otterboardtrawl,andpushnet.Therewerefewregulationsonmesh

sizecontrolforcrabgillnetsresultinginsignificantbycatchandthecatchofjuvenilecrabs

(Songraketal.,2013).

Thedroppednumberofblueswimmingcrabisbelievedtobeconsequencesofvarious

problems such as overharvesting by efficient fishing gear, destruction of nursery habitat,

harvesting ovigerous females and inefficient crabmanagement. This has resulted in

overexploitationof blue swimming crabs andwas illustratedby a steadydecline in crab

catchesinThailandwithanannualaveragereductionincatchesof-7.5%(Fishstat,2011).

Therefore,thecultureofblueswimmingcrabwasconsideredasthewaytoincrease

theproductionofblueswimmingcrabthatwouldsolvetheproblemsregardingcatchingblue

swimmingcrabfromthesea(Tiensongrasamee,2004).Supplyofculturedblueswimmingcrab

hasadirectimpactonitsprice.Animportantconsiderationisherebythatasblueswimming

crabdemandincreases,openaccesscapturefisheriesareinevitablydriventoover-exploitation

ofblueswimmingcrabstocks.Thiswillbetamperedbyproductionfromculturesuchthat

bothstocksizes forcaptureand,thustotalharvestwillbehigherthan intheabsenceof

culturecondition.

Thisstudyisaimedtodescribechangesinproductionandmarketingofblueswimming

crabfisheryinThailandovertheperiodandhighlightrecentdevelopmentintheindustry.This

mayrepresenthowtoreducepressureonblueswimmingcrabfisheries.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE Thisstudyistodescribechangesinproductionandmarketingofblueswimmingcrab

fisheryinThailandovertheperiodandhighlightrecentdevelopmentinthecultureofblue

swimmingindustryinparticular.


EXPECTED BENEFIT Theexpectedoutcomeofthestudyisanassessmentonthecultureandcaptureofblue swimmingcrab fisheries inThailand.Theoutcomewouldprovideauseful guide forpolicyformulationtofurtherdeveloptheblueswimmingcrabfisheriessector.Thedemandandsupply isexpectedtohelppolicy-makers indecisionmaking forblueswimmingcrabsector.Thegovernmentcanformulatekeypoliciestosupportfarmersincontrollingquantityandqualityaswellasregulationsand,also,couldpromoteandprovidetheinformationontheseissuestoconsumers.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Study site and source of data ThestudyareasandlandingplacesforthesamplingofblueswimmingcrabsintheGulfofThailandcover13provincesandaredivided into3coastal zones; Eastern,UpperandWesternGulfofThailand.Theconclusionsofthispaperarebasedonsurveyingresults,aswellasinformationcollectedfromsomepublishedreports,papersandsomeofficialdocu-mentsandreviewstheexistinginformationofthedifferentaspectsoftheblueswimmingcrabmarketingsysteminThailand. Sampling and data collection Thestudyusedbothprimaryandsecondarydata.Secondarydataaretakenfromtherelateddocumentsandstatisticsoftheblueswimmingcrabfishing.ThedatafortheblueswimmingcrabcatchesintheGulfofThailandwerecollectedoverthe1990–2012periodand2002-2012forblueswimmingcrabculturearea.ThedatawerecollectedfromFoodandAgricultureOrganizationoftheUnitedNations(FAO),FisheryInformationTechnologyCenter,DepartmentofFisheries(DOF),andCustomsDepartment. Primarydataincludingquestionnairesandstructuredinterviewswiththeoperationsofblueswimmingcrabculture.DatawerecollectedbyIn-depthinterviewsin5farmsinSamutSakhonandSuratThani.The interviewswere focusedon theculture systemandexistingmarketingsystemwithitsfutureprospects,price,policyinvolvementandproblemsexperi-encedbytheintermediaries. Data Analysis Data from various sourceswere coded and inserted into a database system usingMicrosoftExcelsoftware.Descriptivemethodofanalysiswasusedtodescribetheresultsinpercentage.Somediagramsandtableswerealsousedfordescribingthefindings. Theproductiongeneratedmainlyincludedadescriptionoffishingoperation,costandbenefitofblueswimmingcrabfisheries.Insightontheprice,quantityandvalueprovidetheeconomicimportanceandperformanceoftheblueswimmingcrab. Marketing included a description of export and import of blue swimming crab in

Thailand,marketingchannelsinparticularwerecomplicated.


RESULTS 1. Fisheries biology of the blue swimming crab

TaxonomyofblueswimmingcrabisPhylumArthropoda,ClassCrustacea,Subclass

Malacostraca,OrderDecapoda,FamilyPortunidae,andGunusPortunus(Linnaeus),Species

P.pelagicus, Binomial name is Portunuspelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758). Blue swimming crab is

thecommonnamegivenbytheFoodandAgricultureOrganization(FAO)forspeciesofPortunus

pellagicusandThailocalnameisPooma.

Blue swimming crab is omnivore-type. It eats bothplants and animals andmostly

prefershuntingatnightthanindaytime.Itisincapabletoliveinwaterdeeperthan30meters,

and favorhabitants in shallowwater about10-20meter-depthandcan growwell in the

presenceof29-32pptsalinity, temperature30-32degreeCelsius. In theGulfofThailand,

maturefemalecrabsareavailablethroughouttheyear,peakingduringFebruarytoMayand

SeptembertoDecemberwith4.35cmCLat50%oftheberriedfemale(Jindalikit,2002).

2. World production of blue swimming crab

Theincreasingglobaldemandfortheblueswimmingcrabandtheirwidedistribution

throughoutthe Indo-WestPacificmakethemimportantspeciesforanumberofcountries

(FAO,2012a)andtherehasbeensteadyincreaseinglobalsupply.Theblueswimmingcrab

production experienced upward trend in period of 2001-2013. Total production of catch

peakedat203,843tonsin2013.However,thecatchofblueswimmingcrabstakeninThailand,

in2013,was28,183tons,thisrepresentsa16%decreasefrom2012(33,464tons).Theglobal

captureproductionoffourmajorproducingcountriesfoundthatThailandcontributed14%

landingmakingitthethirdproducerofblueswimmingcrabintheworld,followedbyChina

36%,Indonesia26%,andPhilippines13%.

3. Blue swimming crab fisheries in the Gulf of Thailand

AccordingtoannualreportfromFisheryInformationTechnologyCenter,Department

ofFisheries,IntheGulfofThailand,quantityofblueswimmingcrabcaughtdeclinedfrom

Figure 1 Theblueswimmingcrab:Portunuspelagicus(Linnaeus,1758)

Source:FisheriesandAquacultureDepartment,FoodandAgricultureOrganization,2015.


30,402tons in1990to24,741tons in2012.Although, in1990to2000bothquantityand

valueofcatchincreasedandreachedtheirpeakof37,219tonsin2000.Furthermore,values

fluctuatedwhilequantityremainedrelativelydecreasein2001-2010becauseofblueswimming

craboverfishing.However,in2011-2012quantityandvalueincreasedagainbecauseofthe

successofCrabBankProjectwhichreleasedblueswimmingcrabbacktothesea(Figure2).

4. Fishing gear of blue swimming crab fishery

Accordingtothedatarecordedin2012,mainfishinggearofblueswimmingcrab

fisherywascrabgillnet(61%)oftotalcatchintheGulfofThailand,followedbycrabtrap

(21%),andotterboardtrawl(8%).Crabgillnetwasthemosteffectivefishinggearcreating

thehighestproductionofblueswimmingcrab.

4.1 Crabgillnetfisheries

In1980,themiddlemenintroducedcrabgillnetbyusingnylonforfishing.In

figure3,themeshsizeofthenetwas4-4.5cm.withalengthof180m/pieceand1-mdepth.

Therewere4-6piecesinasetofcrabgillnetwiththetotallengthof1,440-2,160m.The

fishermenemployed3setsofgillnetpertrip.Thecostpersetofgillnetwas2,948bahtwith

a lifetime of 4months. The fishermen dropped the net at thewater depth of 4-12m.

(Nitiratsuwan,Juntarashote,&Songak,2003).

Crabgillnetsweremadewithmonofilament,depthofnetwas12-30meshes

andthestretchedmeshsizevariedfrom7.50-13.75cm.IntheGulfofThailand,thefishermen

usedthenetswithlengthof630-34,200m.,excepttheinboardengineboatsinthecentral

GulfofThailandwheretheyusedthenetslength10,500-76,500m.(Wungkhahartetal,2007).

Figure 2QuantityandvalueofblueswimmingcrabintheGulfofThailand

Source:AnnualReportofFisheriesstatisticsinThailand,1990-2012.


ThefishinggroundintheGulfofThailandwasperformedmainlyinthewaterdepthof2-24m,

except for inboardengineboats in theCentralGulf, the fishingwasoperated in14-34m

waterdepth.Thecrabgillnetscouldbeusedthroughouttheyearbuttheirfishingefforts

weredecreasedinsouthwestmonsoonseason.

IntheGulfofThailand,theinboardengineboatshadthehighestcashcost

(10,665baht/trip) inSuratThaniprovince,while the lowestonewas found inChantaburi

province (135baht/trip).The inboardengineboats found inSuratThaniprovincehadthe

highestnetcashincome(6,484.78baht/trip),whilethelowestonewasfoundinPetchburi

province(331.76baht/trip)(Wungkhaharteta.l.,2007).

4.2 Crabtrapfisheries

AftertheintroductionofthistypeoftrapfromJapanin1981,theintensive

fishing activitieswere startedwith 80-120 traps in seawater, freshwater, and rise up to

3,000 traps for longboats and 5,000 traps for larger commercial vessels. However, this

resultedinthedecreaseofcatchperuniteffort,butincreasedthecatchofthesmallersize

ofblueswimmingcrab.

Figure 3Crabgillnet

Source:Nitiratsuwan,Juntarashote,&Songak,2003.

Figure 4Crabtrapboat

Source:Wungkhahartetal.,2006.


In1996,theordinarycrabtrapwasintroducedfishermen.Itwasconstructedwith

ironwiresinboxshapewiththedimensionsof30x60x20cm.Theredcolornetwithmesh

sizeof1.8cmwasusedforthetrap.Thecostofatrapwas50bahtwithalifetimeof7months.

Afishermenemployed80trapspertripandused4.9kgbaitwiththevalueof47.2baht.The

fishermen set the traps at thewater depth of 2-5m. In 2003, the collapsible trapwas

introduced to fishery community. Itwasmade by aluminumwirewith the dimension of

30x60x20cm.andusegreennylonnetwiththemeshsizeof1.4cm.Thecostoftrapwas

60bahtpertrap.Thetrapswereattachedtoamainrope(1kminlength)eachtraphadan

intervalof20m.Ineachtrip,thefishermenemployed200trapsandused85-baht10-kgbait.

Thefishermensetthetrapsatthewaterdepthof6-10m.(Nitiratsuwan,etal.,2003).

IntheGulfofThailand,smallboatcouldbeoperatedthroughouttheyearbecause

crabtrapfishermenmakeinthecoastalfisheries.ForthemediumandbigboatinNakhon

SiThammaratandPattaniprovince,fishingcouldbeoperatedthroughouttheyearexceptin

SuratThaniprovincewherefishingcouldoperateduringFebruary-AprilandSeptember-October.

5. The Blue Swimming Crab Culture

Thereisagrowinginterestamongfarmersforblueswimmingcrabculture.Themain

factorforpromotingthecultureofblueswimmingcrabsandthebusinessistheincreasing

demandforblueswimmingcrabintheprocessingfactory.Aftertheoutbreakofshrimpand

prawndiseases,manyfarmersdivertedfromshrimpfarmingtoblueswimmingcrabculture.

The culturing of blue swimming crab is believed to be amethod to increase

productivitywithout being pressured about thewild stock and farmers’ job stability for

commercialcrabculture.Blueswimmingcrabculturegaineditsimportancefromthebeginning

oflastdecade,owingtogreatdemandoflivecrabsandcrabproductsintheexportmarket.

Currently,manycountriesareculturedofblueswimmingcrabandassociatedresearches;such

as, Australia, India, Indonesia,Malaysia, and Philippines for the production of lined pond

system. However, inmost of the countries, to date, hatchery seed production of blue

swimmingcrabhasbeenexperimentalandcommercialseedproductiontechnologyhasnot

beendevelopedsofar.

In Thailand, crabprojectbased researchbeing conductedwasprovidedby the

DepartmentofFisheriesandthestartedbluecrabprojectin2002-2003.Thescopeofthis

ongoingresearchappearstobeconsiderableandisbeingconductedatnineResearchInstitutes

including. Aquatic Animal Health Institute consist of Surat Thani, Ranong, Samut Sakhon,

Chanthaburi, Rayong, Phang-Nga, and Trang province. The research input is obviously

considerableandinterestedindevelopmentofcrabfarmingmustbequiteserious.


ThecrabprojectofThailandResearchFund(TRF)operatedin2002forcommercial

blueswimmingcrab.Thisprojectwasadevelopmentofstrategiesandguidelinesforblue

swimmingcrabculturebyinvestigatingresearchabouttechnologyofcultureforcommercial,

developmentfisheriesmanagementguidelinesandsustainableconservationofblueswimming

crabresource,developmentofpost-harvestforvalueaddingofcrabproductfromculture,

andmarketchannel.Whentheprojectstarted,therewerefarmersinterestedincultureand

rearingblue swimmingcrabbothearthpondandcageculturebut therewasnoongoing

supportortheproject.

In 2008, Klongwan Fisheries Research Station, Faculty of Fisheries, Kasetsart

Universityhasestablishedthecompletecycleofblueswimmingcrabcultureprogram(CBSC

program).TheCBSCprogramwasanintegratedresearchfordevelopmentofcrabaquaculture

systemboth brood-stock and seed production.Thailandblue swimming crab FIP (Fishery

ImprovementProjects)processbeganin2011withthecompletionofaMarineStewardship

Council (MSC) pre-assessment. Following,WWF-Thailand started the Blue Swimming Crab

FisheryImprovementProject(BSCFIP)in2012andestablishedTheThaiCrabProductGroup

(TCPG)undertheThaiFrozenFoodsAssociation(TFFA).TCPGistheindustryleadfortheThai

blueswimmercrabsustainabilityinitiative.

In Thailand, blue swimming crab culturemethodsof breeding, nursing and the

method of rearing crab bloodstock in soil ponds is alsowell developed and gain higher

productivity and survival rates. The crab culture operationsmainly depend on juvenile

collectedfromthewildwhicharevariedinsizes,ageswiththeseasons.Developmentofthe

seedproductiontechnologyforblueswimmingcrabisneededtoreducethepressureonthe

wildseedresourcestoensureenvironmentsustainabilityandestablishmentofcrabfarming

oncommercialscale.

Blueswimmingcrabcultureisnotdifferentfromshrimpculturepond.Blueswimming

crabpondiscomposedofsandmixedwithmudbecausethecrabprefersembeddinginsand

orsandysoil.Thedepthofthepondisapproximately1-1.5metersandwidthofthepond

wouldbeappropriatewithanyrelatedtotherateofreleaseofthecrab.Grow-outponds

consistof inlet,pumping systemandwater supplyanddrainagecanals.There shouldbe

puttingalgaegrapesinordertobeshelterforcrabsbecauseofthenatureblueswimming

crabistoliveinenvironmentthathidethenscones.Usingalgaetohelpthetreatmentof

grapejuice.Grapealgaehelpsintermofwaterqualityandtheenvironment.

Whenblueswimmingcrabshavecarapacewidthof1.5-2cm.oraround30-40days

after hatching from the nursing concrete tanks, theywere transferred to earthen pond.

Appropriatedensityinthepondabout3,200-5,000crabs/raiwithaeratedwaterthroughatube

placed.Crabfeedweretrashedfishandshrimp.Feedingisdonetwiceadayat9.00a.m.and


4.00p.m.andfeedingamountisapproximately10-20%ofbodyweightperday.Management

ofrearingwateristhemostimportantstepinpondcultureofcrabandshouldbeexchanged

twoperweek.Theearthenpondconditionsshouldcontainlivablecondition;thesalinityof

thewaterisabout25-35ppt,temperature26-34oC,pH8.18-9.29(Oniam&Arkronrat,2012c).

Thegrowthrateoftheblueswimmingcrabrearedintheearthpondwereconductedfor

90-150daystoattainmarketablesize(10-15crabs/kg).

5.1 Productionandcultureareaofblueswimmingcrab

Accordingtosurveyingdataandliteraturereviews,blueswimmingcrabstate

culturein2002byDepartmentofFisheries.In2002,quantityofblueswimmingcrabcaught

increasedfrom3.2tonsto42tonsin2006aswellasculturearearisingfrom4raiin2002to

52raiin2006(Talbe1).ThiscausedthecrabprojectofThailandResearchFundsupportfarm-

erstocultureblueswimmingcrab.Afterthat,quantityofcultureblueswimmingcrabdeclined

whenfinishedthecrabproject.Currently,KlongwanFisheriesResearchStationandtheThai-

landblueswimmingcrabFIPhavebeenpromotingcultureblueswimmingcrabresultingin

quantityincreasedto35.2tonsandcultureareaincreaseto44raiin2012.

5.2 Cost-Benefitofblueswimmingcrabculture

Thereisagrowinginterestamongfarmersforblueswimmingcrabculture.The

main factor for promoting the culture of blue swimming crabs and the business is the

increasingdemandforblueswimmingcrabintheprocessingfactory.Aftertheoutbreakof

shrimpandprawndiseases,manyfarmersdivertedfromshrimpfarmingtoblueswimming

crabculture.Accordingtotheirresponses,theycangethigherprofitwithinashortertimeand

lowerinvestmentrequiredcomparedtoshrimp.

Datafrominterviewswith5farmersinSamutSakhonandSuratThaniprovince

indicatedthatblueswimmingcrabpondcultureat5raipercropwastotalharvest2,700kg.

Priceofblueswimmingculturewas80baht/kgforaveragesizeof10-12crab/kg,totalrevenue

was 216,000 baht and total costwas 143,070 baht. So, blue swimming crab culturewas

72,930bahtfornetbenefit.Productioncostwas52.99baht/kg(Table2).

Thesupplyfromcultureblueswimmingcrabwasstilllowandrequiredmore

development, promotion and support. Therefore, the culturing of blue swimming crab is

believedtobeawaytoincreaseproductivitywithoutplacingunderpressureonthewildstock

andpromoting seedproductionof crabs as a new industry and farmers’ job stability for

commercialcrabculture.


Table 1Culturequantity,cultureareaandlaborinblueswimmingcrabculture

Year Culture quantity (tons) Culture Area1 (rai)

2002 3.2 4

2003 4.0 4

2004 18 22

2005 26 32

2006 42 52

2007 22 27

2008 16 18

2009 15 18

2010 19 23

2011 27.2 34

2012 35.2 44

Source:Theauthor’ssurveyandreviewpapers

Note:1FisheriesStationhadcultureareaabout1rai/pondandfarmershaveculture

areabout5rai/pond.

Figure 5Blueswimmingcrabculture

Source:Theauthor’ssurvey.

Crabhatchery Earthpondforcrabculture

Blueswimmingcrabculture Berriedfamale


6. The Marketing of Crab in Thailand

CrabproductsareexportedinvariousprocessedformsbyHS-code0306.24ofcrab

consist of live, freshof chilled, in airtight containers, driedor saltedorbrine, cookedby

streaming in boiledwater, and other. HS-code 1605.10 consist of products prepared or

preservedatroomtemperatureformorethansixmonths,productspreparedorpreservedat

roomtemperaturelevel4?C,andproductspreparedorpreservedoutsideairtightcontainers,

andother.

InThailandimportcrabformsarepreparedorpreservednotinairtightcontainers,

live,dried,saltedorbrine,freshofchilledandcookedbystreaminginboiledwater.There

are rawmaterials incrabproductsexported in formsofpreparedorpreserved inairtight

containersandnotinairtightcontainers.

Table 2Costandbenefitforblueswimmingcrabpondcultureat5rai/crop

Value:Baht

Item Survey (2012)

Total revenue at sale 216,000

Production(Average10-12crab/kg.) 2,700

Sellingprice(baht/kg) 80

Total cost 143,070

Fixed cost 18,495

Landvalue(rentonleasebaht2crop) 10,000

waterpump&tools 8,000

Opportunitycost(interestrate=2.75%)1 495

Variable cost 124,575

Seedcost (50,000crabx0.5baht)25,000

Feedcost 63,0002

Pondpreparationandfoodchain 10,000

Fuel 6,000

Labor 15,000

Miscellaneousexpenses 2,000

Opportunitycost(interestrate=2.75%) 3,575

Net benefit 72,930

Production cost (per kg) 52.99

Survival Rate 46.00%

Source:1Interestrateispolicyratein2012fromBankofThailand

2Feedisfreshfishandshrimpfeed


6.1 ExportmarketofcrabinThailand

6.1.1 Live,freshofchilled,inairtightcontainersandotherproduct

Accordingto2014datafromCustomsDepartment,ExportFOBvalueof

live,freshofchilled, inairtightcontainersandotherisheadedmainlytotheUnitedState

market(64.51%),followingChina(14.91%),andTaiwan(14.39%).Livecrabproduct,52%of

exportvaluewereexportedtoTaiwan,followedbyChina(41%)andHongkong(4%).Freshof

chilledcrabproduct63%ofexportvaluewereexportedtoUntiedState,followedbyChina

(22%),andTaiwan(7%).Inairtightcontainersproduct71%ofexportvaluewereexportedto

Japan,andtherestwereexportedtoUnitedArabEmirates.Otherproductexportationsof

dried,saltedorbrinecrabproductswerealmost99%ofexportvaluetoUntiedState.Cooked

bysteamingorbyboilinginwaterproductwasalmost97%ofexportvaluetoLaorepublic.

Otherproduct41%ofexportvaluewereexportedtoCanada,followedbyothercountry(28%)

andUnitedKingdom(20%).

6.1.2 Inairtightcontainersandotherproduct

Crabvalueofinairtightcontainersandotherisheadedmainlytothe

UnitedStatemarket(79%),followedbyUnitedKingdom(4%),Singapore(3%)andCanada

(3%).Inairtightcontainersofpreparedorpreservedinairtightcontainerskeepattemperature

level4?Cproductwasalmost89%ofexportvaluetoUntiedState,andonly5%ofexport

value to Singapore. Export of prepared or preserved in airtight containers keep at room

temperaturemorethansixmonthsofcrabproductwasabout60%ofexportvaluetoUntied

Stateand15%ofexportvaluewereexportedtoCanada.Otherinairtightcontainerscrab

product57%ofexportvaluewereexportedtoUntiedState,only10%ofexportvaluewere

exported to France. The remark of exported quantity inMyanmar and Japan had higher

quantitybut lowexportvalue.Otherproductexportationofpreparedorpreservednot in

airtightcontainerscrabproduct83%ofexportvaluewereexportedtoUntiedState,only9%

ofexportvaluewereexportedtoUnitedKingdom.Otherproduct49%ofexportvaluewere

exportedtoUntiedState,followedbyUnitedKingdom(21%)andMyanmar(10%).

6.2 ImportmarketofcrabinThailand

6.2.1 Live,freshofchilled,inairtightcontainersandotherproduct

Importoflivecrabin2014wasabout65%ofimportquantityand47%

ofimportvaluewasfromMyanmar,followedbyVietnam,andPakistan.Freshorchilledcrab

productwas47%ofimportquantityand7%ofimportvaluewasfromMalaysia,followedby

Bahrain.


6.2.2 Inairtightcontainersandotherproduct

Importquantityofinairtightcontainersandotherproductwereheaded

mainlyfromChinawhichcontributed64%ofpreparedorpreservednotinairtightcontainers,

followedbyotherinairtightcontainers(26%),other(10%).

7. Marketing channel of blue swimming crab

In comparison between blue swimming crab products, the demand for blue

swimmingcrabsinThailandfordomesticconsumptionishigh.Thaipeoplepreferconsuming

blueswimmingcrabsandtheircravinghasanincrementaltendencybothindomesticand

foreignmarkets.

Figure6,domesticmarketsconsistoflocalassemblymarketsandlocalmarkets.

Thelocalassemblymarketscollectedblueswimmingcrabsfromcrabpiersandfarms,then,

furthersoldthemtothelocalmarketsormerchantsinordertodeliverytoterminalmarkets.

Assemblymarketsarelocatedinacommercialareaofeachprovincewhereconsumerscan

buyblueswimmingcrabs;livingcrab,frozencrab,saltedcrab,andcrabmeats.

Middlemenorcollectorsprovidethemainlinkbetweenblueswimmingcraband

themarket.TheyarelocallycalledCrabPier.Theblueswimmingcrabfishermenaverbal

contacttotheCrabPierthroughaloansystemandtheywereboundtoselltheircrabsto

theCrabPier.CrabPiersplayanimportantroleinblueswimmingcrabmarketinginThailand,

notonlybybeingthekeylinkbetweenfishermenandfarmer,butalsohavealendingbusiness.

In Thailand,mostly prepared or preserved crab is exported. Blue swimming

marketing channels, inparticular,werecomplicated, sincemarketoperatorsmayperform

morethanonemarketingfunction.ThemarketingchannelofblueswimmingcrabinThailand

starts from the fisherman andpasses through a number of intermediaries; such as, local

assemblymarkets,assemblymarkets,retailerinlocal,retailerinBangkok,processingfactory

fortheexporterandfinallyfromtheexportertotheforeigncountries.

AsblueswimmingcrabisanimportantproductforcrabmarketinThailand,the

increaseinsupplyofcultureandcaptureblueswimmingcrabwouldhavehadasignificant

impactonthemarkets.


Note: Freshcrab

Crabmeat

Figure 6 Marketingchannelofblueswimmingcrab.

DISCUSSION Thehigh-valuecrabexportintheworld,withhighdemandareinUnitedStatesJapan

andTaiwanmarkets.Themarketingsystempassesthroughanumberofchannelsfromblue

swimmingcrabfishermenandfarmerstoexporters.Adifferentgradingsystemsareinvolved

formarketingofblueswimmingcrabsinThailand.Itisvariedaccordingtothedomesticand

internationalmarketing.Blueswimmingcrabmarketingwasconsideredasaprofitableand

feasiblebusinessbymostof themarketingoperators.However, increaseddemand in the

consumptionofblueswimmingcrabswasalsoreportedasaproblemhinderingtheexpansive

pricesinthedomesticmarketandover-exploitationofblueswimmingcrabstocks.

The insufficient supply of blue swimming crab in the gulf of Thailand has directly

affectedaquacultureactivities.Thisindicatesthatthenaturalstockofblueswimmingcrabis

nowdepleted,perhapsdue to the followingcauses;1)Highdemand,2)Overfishing, and

3)Habitatdestructionofblueswimmingcrab.


DECOMMENDATIONS Due to the over-exploitation of blue swimming crab resource, the following are

recommended;

1. Habitatprotectionofblueswimmingcrab.

2. Researchonspawningseasons.Theknowledgeofspawningseasoncanbeapplied

tofishingregulationsduringcertainperiods.

3. Publicawarenessoftherealsituationandofaspectsofconservation.

4. Disseminationofblueswimmingcrabculturetechniquesandintroductionofmarket

regulations.

5. The farmer should be informed about crabmeat quantity as required by the

processingindustrysuchthattheindustrycanbeincreasedtobuycrabmeatfromculture.

6. Researchshouldalsobecarriedoutwithregardtothestockingdensity,optimum

salinitylevel,feedingandotherphysiologicalparameterstodevelopascientificbasedfor

culturedcrabssothattheycanattainamarketablesize/gradewithintheshortestpossible

time.

7. Thegovernmentshould launchaproactivecampaignthatwouldcreatea local

marketforblueswimmingcrab.Anexportmarketcannotsustainonitsownforlongerterm

unlessitissupportedbyastronglocalmarket.

8. Blueswimmingcrabhasimplementedsomerestrictionsincludingmeshsizeand

closed period for fishing ovigerous females (October through December), However,

managementoftheopenaccesscrabfisheryisnotwellestablished.Poorenforcementhas

ledtoareductioninlandedcrabsizeandeventually,reduceeproductionpotential.

9. Cultureofblueswimmingcrab inearthpond isbelieved tobeanotherwayof

increasingtheproductivity.Themainfactorforpromotingthecultureblueswimmingcrab

andthebusinessistheincreasingdemandforblueswimmingcrabintheprocessingfactory.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The author gratefully acknowledges the support ofOffice of theHigher Education

CommissionandGrantfromEconomyandEnvironmentProgramforSoutheastAsia(EEPSEA).

REFERENCESDepartmentofFisheries.(1990-2012).Annual Report of Fisheries Statistics in Thailand.

SubDivisionofFisheriesStatisticsandInformation,DivisionofFisheriesEconomics,

DepartmentofFisheries,Bangkok.

FAO.(2012a).FAO Fisheries & Aquaculture-Aquatic species.RetrievedJune27,2015,from

http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/2629/en


FAO.(2015).Pic, Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus,1758).RetrievedJune27,2015,fromhttp://

www.fao.org/fishery/species/2629/en

Fishstat.(2011). FAO Fishery and Aquaculture Global Statistics. FoodandAgriculture

OrganizationoftheUnitedNations.

Jindalikit,J.(2002).ReproductiveBiologyofBlueSwimmingCrabPortunuspelegicus

(Linnaesu,1758)intheGulfofThailand.Upper Gulf Marine Fisheries Development

Center Technical Paper,DOF,Thailand,1-11.

Nitiratsuwan,T.,Juntarashote,K.,&Songak,A.(2003,November,18-21).Sustainable

ManagementMeasuresforBlueSwimmingCrab(Portunuspelagicus)Fishery:

AcasestudyinSikaoDistrict,TrangProvince,Thailand.Abs. 6th International conf.,

OnTheEnvironmentalManagementofEnclosedCoastalSeas,Bangkok,Thailand.

229p.

Oniam.V.,&W.Arkronrat.(2012c).Reproductiveperformanceandlarvalqualityofblue

swimmingcrab(Portunuspelagicus)broodstock,fedwithdifferentfeed.

Songklanakarin Journal of Science and Technology,34(4),381-386.

Songrak,A.,Bodhisuwan,W.,&Thapanand-Chaidee,T.(2013).Selectivityoftrapsforblue

swimmingcrabinTrangprovince. Maejo Internation Journal of Science and

Technology,7,36-42.

Tiensongrasamee,B.(2004).Technology of Blue Swimming Crab Culture.Starteammanage

group,Bangkok.132p.

Wungkhahart,W.etal.(2006).CrabTrapFishery.MarineFisheriesResearchandDevelopment

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ผเขยนบทควำม นางสาวเบญจวรรณคงขน นสตปรญญาเอกหลกสตรDoctorofPhilosophy (AgriculturalEconomics) คณะเศรษฐศาสตรมหาวทยาลยเกษตรศาสตร เลขท50ถนนงามวงศวานแขวงลาดยาวเขตจตจกร กรงเทพมหานคร10900 E-mail:[email protected] รองศาสตราจารยดร.เรองไรโตกฤษณะ อาจารยทปรกษาหลก ผชวยศาสตราจารยดร.เพญพรเจนการกจ อาจารยทปรกษารวม ภาควชาเศรษฐศาสตรเกษตรและทรพยากร คณะเศรษฐศาสตรมหาวทยาลยเกษตรศาสตร

CAPTURE AND CULTURE OF BLUE SWIMMING CRAB …policy formulation to further develop the blue swimming...

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