The role of women in the mangrove crab ( Ucides cordatus, Ocypodidae) production process in North Brazil (Amazon region, Pará)

Abstract

The mangrove crab Ucides cordatus is considered by some authors as the keystone species in the mangrove ecosystem of the Caeté river estuary, North Brazil. In this region, crab fishery constitutes the main source of income for native households, and crab collectors are almost all men. The present study was carried out to characterize the role of women in the mangrove crab production process in the district of Caratateua (Pará, Brazil). Crabmeat processing and other activities, such as the construction of traps and other crab gathering artifacts used by the men in crab collection, clearly place the women in the crab production process.