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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Aquac.

Sec. Production Biology

Volume 4 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/faquc.2025.1548270

Effect of stocking density on survival and growth of post-settlement juveniles of aquaculture reared Mediterranean spider crab Maja squinado (Herbst, 1788)

Provisionally accepted
Rémi Millot Rémi Millot *Camille Debattice Camille Debattice Jean-José Filippi Jean-José Filippi *Viviana Ligorini Viviana Ligorini Jérémy Bracconi Jérémy Bracconi Nicolas Gattacceca Nicolas Gattacceca Ambre Crescioni Ambre Crescioni Jean-Baptiste Ronchi-Perfetti Jean-Baptiste Ronchi-Perfetti Alexandre Vela Alexandre Vela Romain Bastien Romain Bastien Antoine Aiello Antoine Aiello
  • UMS3514 Stella Mare, Biguglia, France

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The Mediterranean spider crab, Maja squinado (Herbst, 1788), is one of the largest species of spider crab and holds significant interest for commercial and stock enhancement purposes. Thus, it is essential to identify optimal rearing conditions to attempt mass production, as several factors affect the growth and survival of this species during the early juvenile phase in aquaculture. In this study, we evaluated the effect of stocking density on the growth parameters and survival rate of M. squinado reared in an experimental hatchery as part of a spider crab stock enhancement feasibility project. Groups of spider crabs were reared at two initial densities (1.6 and 4.6 individuals•L -1 ). After 29 days of culture (i.e., from megalopae to C3 juveniles), early juveniles reared at the higher density showed a significantly higher weight gain ratio and specific growth rate as well as a significantly higher Fulton's condition index specifically for C3 juveniles, reflecting a better general well-being. In contrast, the survival at the higher density was negatively affected compared to the lower rearing density. This study improves baseline knowledge about M. squinado rearing to help develop commercial applications and establish management strategies and restoration programs for endangered M. squinado populations going forward.

    Keywords: Maja squinado, stocking density, growth performance, crustacean, Mediterranean spider crab

    Received: 19 Dec 2024; Accepted: 31 Mar 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Millot, Debattice, Filippi, Ligorini, Bracconi, Gattacceca, Crescioni, Ronchi-Perfetti, Vela, Bastien and Aiello. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Rémi Millot, UMS3514 Stella Mare, Biguglia, France
    Jean-José Filippi, UMS3514 Stella Mare, Biguglia, France

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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