A survey of the socioeconomic characteristics of sixty-one crab farms is conducted in Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central and Southern Luzon, Bicol, Western Visayas and Western Mindanao. Four farms culture pure crab while fifty-seven stock crab in combination with other fish species. Thirty-seven percent of the farms were owned while sixty-one percent were leased. Operators venture into the fishpond business since it is their line of specialization, the main and good source of income. Major problems of the fishpond industry are unavailability of supply of inputs and technical support, peace and order situation, unfavorable price structure, insufficiency of operating capital, lack of proper infrastructures, and unpredictable weather.