PENANG, A freshwater crayfish entrepreneur is offering to share his expertise with individuals interested in cultivating this species in a bid to further boost the aquaculture industry.
Muhammad Firdaus Osman, 40, said that despite many entrepreneurs already engaging in farming freshwater crayfish or Cherax quadricarinatus, they have not been able to meet the high demand in the local market.
According to him, even though some considered freshwater crayfish farming as easy, lacking the correct knowledge and methods can impede breeders from achieving optimal crayfish growth size for sale.
“Imagine a farmer in a state taking 11 months for their crayfish to reach a marketable size. How are they supposed to make a profit?
“They may even incur losses due to the costs of feed and other expenses while waiting for the crayfish to reach their optimal size,” he told Bernama when met recently.
Muhammad Firdaus, who operates an Australian red claw crayfish farm, said that the challenges faced by breeders include poo
r quality seeds and an unsuitable farming system, leading to slow or stunted crayfish growth.
Realising that other breeders may encounter similar issues, he took the initiative to share crayfish seeds from his farm, along with offering training and sharing good farming practices.
“My goal is to share knowledge with fellow breeders, especially newcomers. This way, we can ensure the quality of freshwater crayfish in the market and, at the same time, prevent a decline in prices due to low-quality crayfish,” he said.
Muhammad Firdaus added that since venturing into freshwater crayfish farming seven years ago, he has spent a significant amount of time conducting his own experiments, with assistance from friends in Australia, to enhance his understanding of the species.
He pointed out that apart from the crayfish’s sensitivity to certain conditions, pond water quality, food and diseases also impact their growth.
“We have the most effective method for farming these red claw crayfish. We also produce high-qualit
y seeds that can grow up to four inches in size within four months,” he said.
The founder and managing director of Arbaah Sdn Bhd, which operates a crayfish farm on a 4.6-hectare land here, said that they have supported several breeders in Kedah through this initiative.
“At our facility, we have a research pond, 15 nursery ponds and 37 grower ponds. We produce between two and four metric tonnes of freshwater crayfish every month, which are sold either raw or marinated,” he said.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency
