Introduction Initiative: Development of mud crab hatchery & local outgrow farming in Kenya. Background & Activity CrabsAlive was started in 2013 by aquaculturist, Justin Aniere, and is located 20km North of Malindi on the Kenyan coast. The company’s two products are hard shell mangrove crabs (mud crabs / Scylla Serrata) and soft shell crabs of the same species that are harvested during their molt. The organizational goal is to boost Kenya’sunderdeveloped aquaculture sector by establishing a commercial scale, sustainable hatchery with a hard and soft shell crab farming system that produces premium grade, high-value, crabs for both local (food service & tourism) and export markets (Japan, Europe, China, USA). The local and export market demand for both products has already been confirmed, and this initiative now seeks to increase the production of locally produced crabs to pursue aligned opportunities. Following many years of research and development, CrabsAlive is Africa’s first and only soft shell crab farm that is in operation and generating revenue. Learning from large scale crab producers located in Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar, CrabsAlive has developed and annually refined its production approach. In order to prosper in the long term, CrabsAlive now requires capital investments that will enable it to expand, achieve competitive economies of scale and provide more consistent volumes of product to various markets. The required expansions are also expected to develop new employment and revenue generating opportunities for coastal communities in Kenya. The CrabsAlive hatchery is the first of its kind in Africa, and now aims to produce large numbers of juvenile crabs to support a local outgrow farming initiative, sponsored by KEMFSED. Expanding and further refining the hatchery facility through this initiative will help to ensure a sustainable, eco-friendly approach to crab farming, supporting local income and livelihoods on a broader and more consistent scale in future. Justin Aniere underwent basic STAC (Safety Training and Consultancy) course in 2013 and has made annual visits to both Thailand and Malaysia, to consolidate his knowledge, over the last 7 years. He has already secured distribution links to many

top restaurants in Kenya, doubled production capacity over recent years and trained staff that support his local production techniques. Successes from these activities have refined and consolidated the opportunity for further development of this initiative, but further capital investments are required before the facility can meet the still growing market demand for both hard and soft shell varieties of farmed Scylla Serrata. The current hatchery includes a Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS), several large water tanks, a makeshift live feed production system and a low-tech laboratory. CrabsAlive is currently reliant upon local fisherman for wild seed (small crabs caught by local fishermen) until a consistently successful hatchery is developed to enable self-sufficient (from broodstock) sustainable crab farming in Kenya. Such developments will also facilitate further distribution of young crabs to local outgrow crab farms in Kilifi County. As such, if the requested funding is forthcoming, CrabsAlive will then be able to further enhance its expertise and assistance focusing on sustainable aquaculture, coastal environment protection and local job creation. Product: Hard Shell Crabs Hard shell crabs are in high demand year-round and CrabsAlive has already dedicated a portion of its crab farm to local outgrow pens for this output. The crabs are kept alive and healthy through being fed a combination of snails, fish protein and artificial feed until they reach premium market size, weighing between 350 to 800g. At present, these crabs are being purchased from local fishermen at 300 to 500 grams, at a cost of $6 to $8 USD (price determined by quality),and reaching market size after an average of 4-6 months of feeding depending at what size the hard-shell crab is to be sold at. The hatchery project is focused on farming hard-shell crab for its local community initiative, as it is far easier for outgrow farmers to rear them to a marketable size. Farming soft-shell crab on the other hand is a different and more intricate process, involving modern technologies to work with the molting process which will continue to be carried out at the CrabsAlive farm using local pond systems and the technology needed (crab house).