&lt;b&gt;Traditional knowledge and variations in capture techniques used for blue land crab (&lt;i&gt;Cardisoma guanhumi&lt;/i&gt;, L. 1825) along the coast of Paraíba, Brazil

Mauricio Avelar Takahashi,Alberto Kioharu Nishida

doi:10.4025/actascibiolsci.v40i1.37743

<b>Traditional knowledge and variations in capture techniques used for blue land crab (<i>Cardisoma guanhumi</i>, L. 1825) along the coast of Paraíba, Brazil

Mauricio Avelar Takahashi, Alberto Kioharu Nishida

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.4025/actascibiolsci.v40i1.37743

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Abstract

The Mamanguape estuary, located in the Paraiba State (Brazil), hosts many traditional fishing communities and Amerindian villages whose use of the regional natural resources is fundamental to their cultural and physical survival. The aim was to register the traditional local knowledge about the different fish techniques, the influence of the dynamics of the natural environment on the activities of the blue land crab, and the relationships between the sizes of their dens and the sizes of the animals themselves. The only technique used to capture blue land crab is a trap called ‘mousetrap’. It was recorded different materials such as PET bottles, to build the traps. The fishermen stated that fruits are used as bait as well as sugar-cane and onions. The phases of the moon and the different tides do not significantly influence their activities as the crabs inhabit higher lands beyond the influence of normal tides. The knowledge documented here concerning the blue land crab demonstrated that these shell fish harvesters have a detailed understanding of their environment based on observations and empiricism that allows them to determine which techniques and strategies will increase their chances of capturing their prey and consequently guaranteeing their income.

Highlights

Crustaceans of the Order Decapoda, InfraorderBrachyura, such as the blue land crab (Cardisoma guanhumi, Lattreille, 1825), mangrove root crabs (Goniopsis cruentata), swamp ghost crabs (Ucides cordatus), and swimming crabs (Callinectes sp.) are economically important groups for human communities that live in and around mangrove regions (Nordi, 1994, Nishida, Nordi, & Alves, 2004)
The mangrove root crabs is one of the most exploited decapod crustaceans found in the mangrove swamps of Paraíba State, Brazil, and they are of great economic importance to the local communities
Many studies have examined Brachyura crustaceans, mainly the swamp ghost crabs (Ucides cordatus) (Nordi, 1994,Blankensteyn, Filho, & Freire, 1997; Fiscarelli & Pinheiro, 2002; Alves & Nishida, 2004; Passos & Beneditto, 2005; Nishida et al, 2006; Carvalho & Igarashi, 2009; among others), but less work has focused on the distribution and occurrence of blue land crabs (Silva & Coelho, 1960; Farias, 1980; Macedo & Koening, 1987; Silva & Oshiro, 2002; Firmo et al, 2012; Santos et al, 2016) or their physiology, morphology and histology (Pinder & Smits, 1993; Gannon, Arunakul, & Henry, 2001; Gannon & Henry, 2004; Castilho, Ostrensky, Pie, & Boeger, 2008; Oliveira-Neto, Pie, Chammas, Ostrensky, & Boeger, 2008)

Summary

Introduction

Brachyura, such as the blue land crab (Cardisoma guanhumi, Lattreille, 1825), mangrove root crabs (Goniopsis cruentata), swamp ghost crabs (Ucides cordatus), and swimming crabs (Callinectes sp.) are economically important groups for human communities that live in and around mangrove regions (Nordi, 1994, Nishida, Nordi, & Alves, 2004). Traditional knowledge concerning blue land crabs and their natural habitat and population dynamics can provide important information about this species and serve as a starting point for more detailed investigations of this animal

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