PERTANIKA JOURNAL OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE

Portunid crabs, including the genus Scylla and genus Portunus, are highly commercial due to their tasty flavour and high meat yield. However, until now, crab demand is still heavily dependent on wild-caught crabs, and the domestication of crabs is necessary for the production of viable seed in hatcheries and the grow-out of portunid crabs. To enhance portunid crabs farming, reproductive technologies should be improved, and this information still needs to be compiled and reviewed. As such, the purpose of this paper is to review reproductive technologies for sustainable portunid crab’s aquaculture. This manuscript provides a narrative review of reproduction technology, with an emphasis on the portunid crab from two genera, Scylla and Portunus, covering literature from 2000 up to 2025, which focuses on practical hatchery applications. Three methods, including hormonal injections, dietary feeding, and manipulation of culture conditions, can be implemented in hatcheries to obtain as many spawned crabs as possible. Pregnenolone, 5-HT, GnRH, methyl farnesoate, prostaglandin, thyroxine and estrogen have been proven to support ovarian maturation in portunid crabs. Formulated diet rich in lipids, adding astaxanthin or using natural diet from fish, blood cockle and squid has been shown to stimulate gonad development and increase spawning rates. Manipulating temperature and photoperiod can also lead to improvements in the egg incubation period and hatching success, with higher water temperatures and longer light periods yielding better results. Through this review, knowledge on reproductive technologies has been gathered and could be further implemented during the farming of portunid crabs, making hatchery-based reproduction more reliable.