MANTEO, N.C. (AP) - Scientists from North Carolina and Mississippi are working together on an experiment about whether the popular soft-shell crab can be farmed in ponds.
The Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk, Virginia, reported the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is funding the three-year project with a grant of almost $340,000. Sea Grants programs in both states will manage the project.
The University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast Research Lab will lead the effort and lend expertise.
As part of the test, Thomas Seafood in Beaufort will hatch eggs from wild-caught females and raise crabs in two quarter-acre ponds.
North Carolina Sea Grant will monitor costs, how long it takes to raise the crabs and mortality rate. If it works well the first year or so, the company will build two more ponds.
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Information from: The Virginian-Pilot, http://pilotonline.com
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