BFAR to public: To increase crab population, do not eat female 'alimango'

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) urged consumers to eat the male "alimango" (native mudcrab) and not the female ones in order to increase the species' population.

In a "24 Oras" report on Monday, the BFAR cited the low population of the species, and noted that a female crab has the capacity to lay three million eggs.

The bureau also cautioned against eating the female virgin mudcrab, known in the market as "baklang alimango," for the same reason.

According to the BFAR website, mudcrabs can be found in several areas nationwide: Northern Samar, Sorsogon, Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Cagayan, Aklan, and Surigao, and some municipalities of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Lanao, Misamis, and Zamboanga. — Marc Jayson Cayabyab/BM, GMA News