Ethnoknowledge of uçá-crab collectors, Ucides cordatus (Linnaeus, 1763) (Crustacea: Decapoda), in the Várzea do Una Mangroves (São José da Coroa Grande, Pernambuco, Brazil)

Abstract

The catch of crab within the estuarine complexes is the main economic source of riparian communities throughout Northeastern Brazil. This study aimed to investigate the ethnoknowledge of uçá-crab collectors in the District of Várzea do Una, in the Municipality of São José da Coroa Grande (Pernambuco State, Brazil), as well as to infer on their perception regarding the activity of catching the uçá-crab Ucides cordatus (Linnaeus, 1763) (Crustacea: Decapoda), and regarding the mangrove. For the evaluation of ethnobiological and socio-economic issues relating to the crab collectors, a structured questionnaire was applied. Regarding the socio-economic profile of the collectors, they are professionals with a poor quality of life, with no prospect of progression, living in permanent preservation areas, and extracting from them the resources to survive. It was demonstrated that the studied community of uçá-crab collectors strongly interacts with the mangrove, and the empirical knowledge, in several situations, perfectly correlated with the data available in the scientific literature. Thus, it becomes evident that the knowledge of the crab collectors can contribute to scientific studies and should be considered in the development of actions aiming at the local management and preservation of this fishery resources.