Goa CM Appeals for Protection of Berried Female Mud Crabs in Goa

14 August 2026, Goa

The Chief Minister of Goa, Dr Pramod Sawant, has appealed to the people of Goa, particularly those involved in mud crab harvesting, to refrain from catching and consuming berried female crabs carrying eggs. The appeal was made in the presence of scientists from the ICAR–Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute, Goa, and is in line with the State’s Swayampurna Goa vision of responsible resource use and sustainable local production.

Dr Sawant emphasised that protecting berried female mud crabs is essential for maintaining healthy crab populations and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the fishery. He urged fishermen, vendors and consumers to identify egg-bearing females and release them back into their natural habitat rather than harvesting them.

The conservation initiative emerged from scientific efforts at ICAR–CCARI to promote a focused, community-oriented approach towards protecting berried female mud crabs. The initiative was taken forward under the leadership of Dr Parveen Kumar, Director, ICAR–CCARI, with the objective of translating scientific observations into a practical conservation practice that could be adopted by fishing and coastal communities.

A berried female mud crab can carry hundreds of thousands to several million eggs. Harvesting such females before spawning can therefore have a significant impact on future crab recruitment and the sustainability of wild crab populations. To address this concern, ICAR–CCARI has promoted a simple three-step conservation approach: identify, avoid harvesting and release berried female crabs.

The initiative aims to strengthen awareness among fishing and vending communities regarding the identification of berried females and encourage their voluntary release at landing centres and markets. Identification and awareness materials are also expected to be disseminated across coastal talukas to support wider adoption of the conservation practice.

The initiative is expected to contribute to improved natural recruitment and the gradual recovery of crab populations in Goa’s estuaries and mangrove ecosystems. It could also support more stable catches of legal-size, non-breeding crabs, reduce pressure on wild broodstock and strengthen the resilience and sustainability of the State’s mud crab fishery.

The conservation approach has the potential to serve as a practical model for community-based management of crab resources and could be replicated in other coastal States, supporting both ecological conservation and the long-term livelihoods of fishing communities.

(Source: ICAR–Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute, Goa)