SRI LANKA'S Small Fisheries Federation has been revealing new experiments on growing out mud crabs in cages in a project aimed at boosting supplies for local and international markets.
Mud crab is becoming an important commercial seafood in Sri Lanka, where it commands a high price - locally it fetches up to Rs248 (@US$27) per 450kg - as well as in export markets.
There are around 140 crab farmers in the Puttalam district where the crab is caught in mangrove swamps and estuary waters using gill nets, fish traps and hooks, and the practice is becoming increasingly popular.
However,
