Seagrass Invertebrate Fisheries, Their Value Chains and the Role of LMMAs in Sustainability of the Coastal Communities—Case of Southern Mozambique

Sádia Chitará-Nhandimo,António De Sacramento Cabral,Salomão Bandeira,Almeida Guissamulo,Assucena Chissico,Marlino Eugénio Mubai

doi:10.3390/d14030170

Sádia Chitará-Nhandimo, António De Sacramento Cabral + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/d14030170

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Journal: Diversity	Publication Date: Feb 27, 2022
Citations: 8	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Eduardo Mondlane University

Abstract

Invertebrate gleaning within seagrass meadows is a common activity across eastern African communities that depend on fisheries for their livelihoods. Based on a case study of two contrasting sites, Maputo Bay (MB) and Inhambane Bay (IB), this study documents, both qualitatively and quantitatively, the gleaning activity, its value chain and stakeholders, paying particular attention to the recently created Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs) within IB, boasting creativity in seagrass invertebrate fishery management. Twenty-four common edible species were identified for MB, and 15 for IB; nearly all gleaners were women and children. Our estimates indicate that about 7.7 and 7.6 tons of invertebrates are collected in the peak catch weeks (spring low tides) in MB and IB, respectively. Resources are caught and sold at local markets, food fairs (for IB only), and restaurants, as well as for direct household consumption. One thousand one hundred and seventy two (1172) hectares of LMMAs (corresponding to nearly 0.05 of IB) of fisheries management, together with existing community and other stakeholder engagement and intervention on value chains, are at the center of tangible invertebrate fishery management.

Highlights

IntroductionSeagrass meadows are among the most important habitats in the marine shallow water
Seagrass meadows are among the most important habitats in the marine shallow water.They provide ecosystem services that have been globally acknowledged as having quite a high economic value, providing a critical contribution for the livelihoods and wellbeing of many coastal and islander communities [1–3]
Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs) can either be permanent or temporarily [27] and may rely heavily on the collective participation of other actors, given underlying issues of resource depletion, a lack of alternative livelihoods, population growth [22], poverty, and low education levels. Keeping this background in mind, this study focuses on the seagrass invertebrate fisheries in Maputo and Inhambane Bays, with a particular focus on the harvested species, people involved, and value chain

Summary

Introduction

Seagrass meadows are among the most important habitats in the marine shallow water They provide ecosystem services that have been globally acknowledged as having quite a high economic value, providing a critical contribution for the livelihoods and wellbeing of many coastal and islander communities [1–3]. Seagrass plays an important role in fishing productivity, enabling a wider range of ecosystem services [4,5], supporting numerous charismatic faunal species such as dugongs, turtles, and seahorses [6,7]. They represent an important cultural asset to the coastal people whose lifestyle is intrinsically associated with seagrass’ provision of food, recreation, and spiritual fulfillment [8,9]. In Mozambique, a great diversity such as pearl oysters (Pinctada capensis), clams and mussels (Meretrix meretrix, Anadara antiquata, Modiolus auriculatus), snails (Volema pyrum), and crabs (e.g., Portunus spp.) are caught for domestic consumption and for sale [12,13]

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