Contents: Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. Land and people of Sundarban. 3. Materials and methods of study. 4. Brief review of earlier works. 5. Morphology and biology. 6. Systematic position and diagnosis. 7. Fishing gears and techniques. 8. Production unit and production relations. 9. Fishing communities. 10. Fishing rites and rituals. 11. Landing centres and trade systems. 12. Resource assessment. 13. Socio-economic aspects. 14. Problems and prospects. 15. Concluding remarks. Appendices. Glossary. References. Author index. Subject index.

"Sundarban has been recently declared as 'Biosphere Reserve'. Owing to its topographic/hydrographic diversity, the fishery resources of the region are also diverse and varied, comprising coastal, estuarine, brackishwater and freshwater systems. An attempt has been made here to analyse crab resources available and further promotion of their fisheries so that this crucial component of marine shell fish resources may be properly harvested.

"The book deals with morphology, biology, diagnosis, and distribution of eleven species of commercially important crabs; gears and techniques involved in fishing crabs; landings and estimation of the resource; fishermen communities and fishing units, rituals and rites along with socio-economic aspects as well as problems and prospects." (jacket)

[N.C. Nandi also wrote Fauna of Sundarban Mangrove Ecosystem and Bibliography of the Indian Sundarban.]

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