Optimization of the production of soft shell crab (Scylla sp.) cultivation using the apartment system

Soft-shell crabs represent a valuable commodity in the fishing industry. However, crab farming faces challenges such as uneven and diverse molting and cannibalism. The apartment system is an alternative method of soft-shell crab farming that can overcome these challenges, but it carries a higher cost than the pond system. This study analyzed the effects of the optimization of inputs on the profitability of soft-shell crab aquaculture using the apartment system. The research was conducted from March to June 2023 in the apartment system of IFMOS IPB Ancol (North Jakarta City, DKI Jakarta Province, Indonesia). The research data included primary data derived from direct rearing and secondary data sourced from group research and the related literature. In total, 316 crabs were reared for 3–4 weeks with ad satiation feeding on yellow mackerel. The research variables included production performance, optimization, and business prospects. Data analysis was conducted using a quantitative descriptive method. The survival rate of mud crabs was 81.46%, and the molting rate was 18.54%. Optimization using the Cobb–Douglas production function found that the number of crablets, working time, and molting influenced soft-shell crab production in the apartment system. The optimal inputs were a biomass of 33.05 kg (399 individuals), an optimal work time of 11.5 h/day-man, and 153 molting crabs (18.76 kg). Profitability analysis illustrated that soft-shell crab aquaculture using apartment systems under optimal conditions could increase annual profits with a higher R/C ratio of 1.21.