Blue swimming crab (Portunus pelagicus Linnaeus, 1758) spawner's survival and egg hatchability in net cages
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Published
Jan 23, 2026
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Paul B. Doronila
Rhoda A. Aguilos
Abstract
The declining population of the blue swimming crab (BSC) (Portunus pelagicus Linnaeus, 1758) necessitates effective resource management and hatchery development for crablet production, which is vital for reseeding and aquaculture. This study aimed to determine the water quality and evaluate the survival rate (SR) of spawners and the hatching rate (HR) relationships to the spawners' carapace width (CW) and body weight (BW) using a net cage hatchery system in the coastal waters of Bocana, Ilog, Negros Occidental, Philippines. Berried BSC were individually stocked in net cages and grouped into five size categories based on CW: S1 (100.00-104.99 mm), S2 (105.00-109.99 mm), S3 (110.00-114.99 mm), S4 (115.00-119.99 mm), and S5 (120.00-124.99 mm). The findings indicated that the physicochemical parameters in the coastal waters of Bocana were suitable for BSC spawning. Larger CWs were associated with higher SR (mean overall 80 ± 40.82%). Spawners with a CW ranging from 110 to 124.99 mm exhibited higher HRs compared to those ranging from 100 to 109.99 mm. The mean (±SD) hatching rate (51.89 ± 29.67%) was comparable to previous studies with highly controlled environmental conditions. The BSC spawners' CW (r(23) = 0.614, P < 0.001) and BW (r(23) = 0.563, P < 0.003) were significantly correlated with their HR. The correlation between HR vs. CW and HR vs. BW was significant. The net cage system offers a method that can contribute to a sustainable blue swimming crab fishery industry and serves as a potential model for community-based aquaculture initiatives.
How to Cite
Doronila, P. B., & Aguilos, R. A. (2026). Blue swimming crab (Portunus pelagicus Linnaeus, 1758) spawner’s survival and egg hatchability in net cages. The Palawan Scientist, 18(1), 74–85. https://doi.org/10.69721/TPS.J.2026.18.1.08
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Keywords
berried crabs, body weight, carapace width, fecundity, net cage hatchery system
References
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Andrés M, Rotllant G, Zeng C. 2010. Survival, development, and growth of larvae of the blue swimming crab, Portunus pelagicus, cultured under different photoperiod conditions. Aquaculture. 300(1-4):218-222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2009.12.026
Ates M, Quinitio G, Quinitio E, Sanares R. 2011. Comparative study on the embryonic development of three mud crabs, Scylla spp. Aquaculture Research. 43(2):215-225. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2109.2011.02818.x
Azra MN, Ikhwanuddin M. 2015. A review of maturation diets for mud crab genus Scylla broodstock: Present research, problems and future perspective. Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences. 23(2):257-267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sjbs.2015.03.011
Arshad A, Efrizal, Kamarudin MS, Saad CR. 2006. Study on fecundity, embryology and larval development of blue swimming crab Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758). Research Journal of Fisheries and Hydrobiology. 1(1):35-44.
Batoy C, Sarmago J, Pilapil B. 1988. Breeding season, sexual maturity and fecundity of the blue crab, Portunus pelagicus (L.) in selected coastal waters in Leyte and vicinity, Philippines. Annals of Tropical Research (Philippines). 9:157-177.
Baylon J. 2010. Effects of salinity and temperature on survival and development of larvae and juveniles of the mud crab, Scylla serrata (Crustacea: Decapoda: Portunidae). Journal of The World Aquaculture Society. 41(6):858-873. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-7345.2010.00429.x
Beveridge MCM. 2004. Cage aquaculture. Second Edition. Blackwell Publishing.
BFAR (Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources). 2020. Philippine Fisheries Profile 2019. Department of Agriculture. [accessed year month date]. https://www.bfar.da.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/2020-Fisheries-Profile-Final.pdf
Cabacaba N, Salamida J. 2015. Seed production of the blue swimming crab (Portunus pelagicus). Aquaculture Department, Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center. 313. https://repository.seafdec.org.ph/handle/10862/2793
Castro P, Huber ME. 2019. Marine biology. Eleventh edition. McGraw-Hill Education.
Charmantier G, Charmantier-Daures M. 1995. Osmoregulation and salinity tolerance in zoeae and juveniles of the snow crab Chionoecetes opilio. Aquatic Living Resources. 8(2):171–179. https://doi.org/10.1051/alr:1995014
Darnell MZ, Rittschof D, Darnell KM, McDowell RE. 2009. Lifetime reproductive potential of female blue crabs Callinectes sapidus in North Carolina, USA. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 394:153–163. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps08295
Deaton A, Cartwright N. 2018. Understanding and misunderstanding randomized controlled trials. Social Science & Medicine. 210:2–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.SOCSCIMED.2017.12.005
de La Cruz M, de La Cruz J, Tan I, Ruizo E. 2015. The blue swimming crab (Portunus pelagicus) fishery of eastern Visayas, Philippines. Philippine Journal of Natural Sciences. 20(1):25-45.
De Lestang S, Hall NG, Potter IC. 2003. Reproductive biology of the blue swimmer crab (Portunus pelagicus, Decapoda: Portunidae) in five bodies of water on the west coast of Australia. Fisheries Bulletins. 101(4):745–757.
Dickinson GH, Rittschof D, Latanich C. 2006. Spawning biology of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, in North Carolina. Bulletin of Marine Science. 79(2):273–285.
Doronila PB. 2019. Growth and Survival of Blue Swimming Crab (Portunus pelagicus L.) In Different Rearing Substrates and Stocking Densities. Philippine Social Development and Resource Management Journal. 2(1):14-14.
Field A. 2024. Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics. Sage Publications Limited.
FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization). 2018. The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2018 - Meeting the Sustainable Development Goals. Rome.
Garrison T. 2017. Essentials of oceanography (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Gascon AG, Ruaza Jr FC, Quevedo BG, Cortes JR. 2023. Blue Swimming Crab (Portunus pelagicus) Fishery Status in Lianga Bay, Surigao del Sur, Philippines. Journal of Survey in Fisheries Sciences. 10(3):77–84. https://doi.org/10.53555/SFS.V10I3.1614
Hamasaki K, Fukunaga K, Kitada S. 2006. Batch fecundity of the swimming crab Portunus trituberculatus (Brachyura: Portunidae). Aquaculture. 253(1–4):359–365. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2005.08.002
Ikhwanuddin M, Azra MN, Siti-Aimuni H, Abol-Munafi AB. 2012. Fecundity, embryonic and ovarian development of blue swimming crab, Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus 1758) in coastal waters of Johor, Malaysia. Pakistan Journal of Biological Science. 15(15):720–728. https://doi.org/10.3923/pjbs.2012.720.728
Ikhwanuddin M, Azra M, Noorulhudha N, Siti-Aishah A, Abol-Munafi A. 2016. Turkish Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. 16:669-677. http://doi.org/10.4194/1303-2712-v16_3_21
Johnson D, Gray C, Macbeth W. 2010. Reproductive biology of Portunus pelagicus in a South-East Australian Estuary. Journal of Crustacean Biology. 30(2):200-205. https://doi.org/10.1651/08-3076.1
Kumar MS, Xiao Y, Venema S, Hooper G. 2003. Reproductive cycle of the blue swimmer crab, Portunus pelagicus of Southern Australia. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. 83(5):983–994.
Kunsook C, Gajaseni N, Paphavasit N. 2014. A Stock assessment of the blue swimming crab Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758) for Sustainable Management in Kung Krabaen Bay, Gulf of Thailand. Tropical Life Sciences Research. 25(1):41-59.
Kutty M. 2020. Site Selection for Aquaculture: Physical Features of Water. Establishment of African Regional Aquaculture Centre. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
Leme MH. 2006. Seasonal changes in reproductive traits of the crab Sesarma rectum (Grapsoidea: Sesarmidae) on the northern coast of São Paulo State, Brazil. Journal of Crustacean Biology. 26(2):141–147. https://doi.org/10.1651/C-2621.1
Lignot JH, Spanings-Pierrot C, Charmantier G. 2000. Osmoregulatory capacity as a tool in monitoring the physiological condition and the effect of stress in crustaceans. Aquaculture. 191(1-3):209-245. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0044-8486(00)00429-4
Litulo C. 2004. Fecundity of the pantropical fiddler crab Uca annulipes (H. Milne Edwards, 1837) (Brachyura: Ocypodidae) at Costa do Sol Mangrove, Maputo Bay, Southern Mozambique (Short communication). Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Sciences. 3(1): 87–91.
Lunt J, Smee DL. 2020. Turbidity alters estuarine biodiversity and species composition, ICES Journal of Marine Science. 77(1):379–387. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsz214
Maheswarudu G, Jose J, Nair K, Arputharaj M, Ramakrishna A. 2008. Evaluation of the seed production and grow out culture of blue swimming crab Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758) in India. Indian Journal of Marine Sciences. 37(3):313-321.
Mesa S, Bayate DE, Guanco M. 2018. Blue Swimming Crab Stock Assessment in the Western Visayan Sea. The Philippine Journal of Fisheries. 25(1):77–94. https://doi.org/10.31398/TPJF/25.1.2017C0008
Oniam V, Taparhudee W. 2010. Physical relationship on fecundity and hatching rate of blue swimming crab (Portunus pelagicus Linnaeus, 1758) from broodstocks's earthen ponds. Proceedings of the 48th Kasetsart University Annual Conference, Kasetsart, 3-5 March, 2010. Subject: Fisheries. Kasetsart University.
Oniam V, Chuchit L, Arkronrat W. 2012. Reproductive performance and larval quality of blue swimming crab (Portunus pelagicus) broodstock, fed with different feeds. Songklanakarin Journal of Science and Technology. 4(34):381-386.
Oniam V, Arkronrat W, Kaewjantawee P, Wechakama T. 2021. Breeding performance of wild and domesticated female broodstock of blue swimming crab, Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758). Journal of Fisheries and Environment. 45(2):84-91.
Parado-Estepa F, Quinitio E, Rodriguez E. 2002. Seed production of the crucifix crab Charybdis feriatus. Aquaculture Asia. 7(3):37.
Picoy-Gonzales RM, Monteclaro HM. 2023. Morphometric relationships, sex ratio and relative condition factor of the blue swimming crab Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758) in the municipal waters of Tolosa, Leyte, Eastern Visayas, Philippines. Philippine Journal of Natural Science. 28:14-23.
Quinitio E, De La Cruz J, Eguia M, Parado-Estepa F, Pates G, Lavilla-Pitogo C. 2011. Domestication of the mud crab Scylla serrata. Aquaculture International. 19(2):237-250. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10499-010-9381-0
Quinitio ET, Parado-Estepa FD. 2008. Biology and hatchery of mud crabs Scylla spp. (2nd Ed.). Tigbauan, Iloilo, Philippines: Aquaculture Department, Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center. [accessed year month date].
Soundarapandian P, Tamizhazhagan T. 2009. Embryonic Development of Commercially Important Portunid Crab Portuns sanguinolentus (Herbst). International Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances. 1(2):32-38.
Soundarapandian P, Varadharajan D, Boopathi A. 2013. Reproductive Biology of the commercially important portunid crab, Portunus sanguinolentus (Herbst). Journal of Marine Science Research Development. 3:124. http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/2155-9910.1000124
Villalva SD, Dolorosa RG. 2014. Trends in milkfish fry production in Sofronio Española, Palawan, Philippines with notes on 12-year province-wide production. The Palawan Scientist. 6:28-38. https://doi.org/10.69721/TPS.J.2014.6.1.03
Zairion Z, Wardiatno Y, Boer M, Fahrudin A. 2015. Reproductive biology of the blue swimming crab Portunus pelagicus (Brachyura: Portunidae) in East Lampung Waters, Indonesia: Fecundity and Reproductive Potential. Tropical Life Sciences Research. 26(1):67-85.
Andrés M, Rotllant G, Zeng C. 2010. Survival, development, and growth of larvae of the blue swimming crab, Portunus pelagicus, cultured under different photoperiod conditions. Aquaculture. 300(1-4):218-222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2009.12.026
Ates M, Quinitio G, Quinitio E, Sanares R. 2011. Comparative study on the embryonic development of three mud crabs, Scylla spp. Aquaculture Research. 43(2):215-225. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2109.2011.02818.x
Azra MN, Ikhwanuddin M. 2015. A review of maturation diets for mud crab genus Scylla broodstock: Present research, problems and future perspective. Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences. 23(2):257-267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sjbs.2015.03.011
Arshad A, Efrizal, Kamarudin MS, Saad CR. 2006. Study on fecundity, embryology and larval development of blue swimming crab Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758). Research Journal of Fisheries and Hydrobiology. 1(1):35-44.
Batoy C, Sarmago J, Pilapil B. 1988. Breeding season, sexual maturity and fecundity of the blue crab, Portunus pelagicus (L.) in selected coastal waters in Leyte and vicinity, Philippines. Annals of Tropical Research (Philippines). 9:157-177.
Baylon J. 2010. Effects of salinity and temperature on survival and development of larvae and juveniles of the mud crab, Scylla serrata (Crustacea: Decapoda: Portunidae). Journal of The World Aquaculture Society. 41(6):858-873. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-7345.2010.00429.x
Beveridge MCM. 2004. Cage aquaculture. Second Edition. Blackwell Publishing.
BFAR (Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources). 2020. Philippine Fisheries Profile 2019. Department of Agriculture. [accessed year month date]. https://www.bfar.da.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/2020-Fisheries-Profile-Final.pdf
Cabacaba N, Salamida J. 2015. Seed production of the blue swimming crab (Portunus pelagicus). Aquaculture Department, Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center. 313. https://repository.seafdec.org.ph/handle/10862/2793
Castro P, Huber ME. 2019. Marine biology. Eleventh edition. McGraw-Hill Education.
Charmantier G, Charmantier-Daures M. 1995. Osmoregulation and salinity tolerance in zoeae and juveniles of the snow crab Chionoecetes opilio. Aquatic Living Resources. 8(2):171–179. https://doi.org/10.1051/alr:1995014
Darnell MZ, Rittschof D, Darnell KM, McDowell RE. 2009. Lifetime reproductive potential of female blue crabs Callinectes sapidus in North Carolina, USA. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 394:153–163. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps08295
Deaton A, Cartwright N. 2018. Understanding and misunderstanding randomized controlled trials. Social Science & Medicine. 210:2–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.SOCSCIMED.2017.12.005
de La Cruz M, de La Cruz J, Tan I, Ruizo E. 2015. The blue swimming crab (Portunus pelagicus) fishery of eastern Visayas, Philippines. Philippine Journal of Natural Sciences. 20(1):25-45.
De Lestang S, Hall NG, Potter IC. 2003. Reproductive biology of the blue swimmer crab (Portunus pelagicus, Decapoda: Portunidae) in five bodies of water on the west coast of Australia. Fisheries Bulletins. 101(4):745–757.
Dickinson GH, Rittschof D, Latanich C. 2006. Spawning biology of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, in North Carolina. Bulletin of Marine Science. 79(2):273–285.
Doronila PB. 2019. Growth and Survival of Blue Swimming Crab (Portunus pelagicus L.) In Different Rearing Substrates and Stocking Densities. Philippine Social Development and Resource Management Journal. 2(1):14-14.
Field A. 2024. Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics. Sage Publications Limited.
FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization). 2018. The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2018 - Meeting the Sustainable Development Goals. Rome.
Garrison T. 2017. Essentials of oceanography (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Gascon AG, Ruaza Jr FC, Quevedo BG, Cortes JR. 2023. Blue Swimming Crab (Portunus pelagicus) Fishery Status in Lianga Bay, Surigao del Sur, Philippines. Journal of Survey in Fisheries Sciences. 10(3):77–84. https://doi.org/10.53555/SFS.V10I3.1614
Hamasaki K, Fukunaga K, Kitada S. 2006. Batch fecundity of the swimming crab Portunus trituberculatus (Brachyura: Portunidae). Aquaculture. 253(1–4):359–365. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2005.08.002
Ikhwanuddin M, Azra MN, Siti-Aimuni H, Abol-Munafi AB. 2012. Fecundity, embryonic and ovarian development of blue swimming crab, Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus 1758) in coastal waters of Johor, Malaysia. Pakistan Journal of Biological Science. 15(15):720–728. https://doi.org/10.3923/pjbs.2012.720.728
Ikhwanuddin M, Azra M, Noorulhudha N, Siti-Aishah A, Abol-Munafi A. 2016. Turkish Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. 16:669-677. http://doi.org/10.4194/1303-2712-v16_3_21
Johnson D, Gray C, Macbeth W. 2010. Reproductive biology of Portunus pelagicus in a South-East Australian Estuary. Journal of Crustacean Biology. 30(2):200-205. https://doi.org/10.1651/08-3076.1
Kumar MS, Xiao Y, Venema S, Hooper G. 2003. Reproductive cycle of the blue swimmer crab, Portunus pelagicus of Southern Australia. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. 83(5):983–994.
Kunsook C, Gajaseni N, Paphavasit N. 2014. A Stock assessment of the blue swimming crab Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758) for Sustainable Management in Kung Krabaen Bay, Gulf of Thailand. Tropical Life Sciences Research. 25(1):41-59.
Kutty M. 2020. Site Selection for Aquaculture: Physical Features of Water. Establishment of African Regional Aquaculture Centre. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
Leme MH. 2006. Seasonal changes in reproductive traits of the crab Sesarma rectum (Grapsoidea: Sesarmidae) on the northern coast of São Paulo State, Brazil. Journal of Crustacean Biology. 26(2):141–147. https://doi.org/10.1651/C-2621.1
Lignot JH, Spanings-Pierrot C, Charmantier G. 2000. Osmoregulatory capacity as a tool in monitoring the physiological condition and the effect of stress in crustaceans. Aquaculture. 191(1-3):209-245. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0044-8486(00)00429-4
Litulo C. 2004. Fecundity of the pantropical fiddler crab Uca annulipes (H. Milne Edwards, 1837) (Brachyura: Ocypodidae) at Costa do Sol Mangrove, Maputo Bay, Southern Mozambique (Short communication). Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Sciences. 3(1): 87–91.
Lunt J, Smee DL. 2020. Turbidity alters estuarine biodiversity and species composition, ICES Journal of Marine Science. 77(1):379–387. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsz214
Maheswarudu G, Jose J, Nair K, Arputharaj M, Ramakrishna A. 2008. Evaluation of the seed production and grow out culture of blue swimming crab Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758) in India. Indian Journal of Marine Sciences. 37(3):313-321.
Mesa S, Bayate DE, Guanco M. 2018. Blue Swimming Crab Stock Assessment in the Western Visayan Sea. The Philippine Journal of Fisheries. 25(1):77–94. https://doi.org/10.31398/TPJF/25.1.2017C0008
Oniam V, Taparhudee W. 2010. Physical relationship on fecundity and hatching rate of blue swimming crab (Portunus pelagicus Linnaeus, 1758) from broodstocks's earthen ponds. Proceedings of the 48th Kasetsart University Annual Conference, Kasetsart, 3-5 March, 2010. Subject: Fisheries. Kasetsart University.
Oniam V, Chuchit L, Arkronrat W. 2012. Reproductive performance and larval quality of blue swimming crab (Portunus pelagicus) broodstock, fed with different feeds. Songklanakarin Journal of Science and Technology. 4(34):381-386.
Oniam V, Arkronrat W, Kaewjantawee P, Wechakama T. 2021. Breeding performance of wild and domesticated female broodstock of blue swimming crab, Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758). Journal of Fisheries and Environment. 45(2):84-91.
Parado-Estepa F, Quinitio E, Rodriguez E. 2002. Seed production of the crucifix crab Charybdis feriatus. Aquaculture Asia. 7(3):37.
Picoy-Gonzales RM, Monteclaro HM. 2023. Morphometric relationships, sex ratio and relative condition factor of the blue swimming crab Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758) in the municipal waters of Tolosa, Leyte, Eastern Visayas, Philippines. Philippine Journal of Natural Science. 28:14-23.
Quinitio E, De La Cruz J, Eguia M, Parado-Estepa F, Pates G, Lavilla-Pitogo C. 2011. Domestication of the mud crab Scylla serrata. Aquaculture International. 19(2):237-250. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10499-010-9381-0
Quinitio ET, Parado-Estepa FD. 2008. Biology and hatchery of mud crabs Scylla spp. (2nd Ed.). Tigbauan, Iloilo, Philippines: Aquaculture Department, Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center. [accessed year month date].
Soundarapandian P, Tamizhazhagan T. 2009. Embryonic Development of Commercially Important Portunid Crab Portuns sanguinolentus (Herbst). International Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances. 1(2):32-38.
Soundarapandian P, Varadharajan D, Boopathi A. 2013. Reproductive Biology of the commercially important portunid crab, Portunus sanguinolentus (Herbst). Journal of Marine Science Research Development. 3:124. http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/2155-9910.1000124
Villalva SD, Dolorosa RG. 2014. Trends in milkfish fry production in Sofronio Española, Palawan, Philippines with notes on 12-year province-wide production. The Palawan Scientist. 6:28-38. https://doi.org/10.69721/TPS.J.2014.6.1.03
Zairion Z, Wardiatno Y, Boer M, Fahrudin A. 2015. Reproductive biology of the blue swimming crab Portunus pelagicus (Brachyura: Portunidae) in East Lampung Waters, Indonesia: Fecundity and Reproductive Potential. Tropical Life Sciences Research. 26(1):67-85.
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