Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2plfb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T03:24:49.987Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Population structure, catch composition and CPUE of the artisanally harvested mangrove crab Ucides cordatus (Ocypodidae) in the Caeté estuary, North Brazil: Indications for overfishing?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 July 2005

Karen Diele ,
Volker Koch  and
Ulrich Saint-Paul
Karen Diele
Affiliation:
Zentrum Für Marine Tropenökologie, Fahrenheitstrasse 6, 28359 Bremen, Germany
Volker Koch
Affiliation:
Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur, Departamento de Biologia Marina, Ap. Postal 19-B, CP 23080 La Paz, B.C.S., Mexico
Ulrich Saint-Paul
Affiliation:
Zentrum Für Marine Tropenökologie, Fahrenheitstrasse 6, 28359 Bremen, Germany
Get access

Abstract

To evaluate the population structure of Ucides cordatus in the Caeté estuary, crabs were sampled bimonthly over 13 months in three Rhizophora mangle forest stands that differed in their accessibility and fishing history. Additionally, sex- and size composition of the commercial catch and catch per unit of effort (CPUE – the number of crabs captured per fisherman per day) were monitored between 1997 and 2003. Average and maximum crab sizes (carapace width, CW) from all three sampling sites combined were 6.1 cm and 8.8 cm in males, respectively, and 5.5 and 7.3 cm in females. Crabs were largest at the site that had been reportedly less exploited in the past. The overall sex ratio was skewed towards males (53−62%). Egg carrying females were only encountered during the rainy season. Mean crab abundance and biomass was 1.7 specimens m−2 and 142 g m−2 fresh mass. Only large males were commercially harvested (98% ≥ 6.5 cm CW). Their biomass was 53 g m−2 and the Caeté estuary yields an annual production of 1200 t of these large specimens. This is approximately the quantity that is currently being harvested. CPUE was similar in 1997 and 1998, then decreased by 15% until 2000 and stabilized for the rest of the study period. Mean capture size (cm CW) ranged between 7.2 ± 0.5 and 7.5 ± 0.2 and was above the size of 50% (and even 100%) male maturity and the legal minimum capture size. There is no evidence that the Caeté crab population is overfished, despite over 30 years of de facto open access exploitation. Apparently, the selectivity of fishermen and consumers for large male crabs as well as the local artisanal capture techniques are key factors in preventing an overfishing of the Caeté crab population until today. Our results suggest that the economic and social sustainability of this fishery will be affected well before the biological one, which should be considered in the recently proposed coastal co-management plan for the region.

Keywords

Mangrove crabUcides cordatusBiomassSex ratioArtisanal fisheriesCPUEManagementBrazil
Type
Research Article
Information
Aquatic Living Resources , Volume 18 , Issue 2 , April 2005 , pp. 169 - 178
Copyright
© EDP Sciences, IFREMER, IRD, 2005

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alcântara-Filho, P., 1978, Contribuição ao estudo da biologia e ecologia do caranguejo-uçá, Ucides cordatus cordatus (Linnaeus, 1763) (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura), no manguezal do Rio Ceará (Brasil). Arq. Ciênc. Mar. 18, 1-41.
Boeger, W.A., Pie, M.R., Ostrensky, A., Patella, L., 2005, Lethargic crab desease: Multidisciplinary evidence supports a mycotic etiology. Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz 100, 161-167. CrossRef
Botelho, E.R., Dias, A.F., Ivo, C.T.C., 1999, Estudo sobre a biologia do caranguejo-uçá, Ucides cordatus cordatus (Linnaeus, 1763), capturado nos estuários dos rios Formosos (Rio Formoso) e Ilhetas (Tamandaré), no estado de Pernambuco. Bol. Tec. Cient. Cepene 7, 117-145.
Botelho, E.R., Santos, M.C.F., Pontes, A.C.P., 2000, Algumas considerações sobre o uso da redinha na captura do caranguejo-uçá, Ucides cordatus (Linnaeus, 1763), no litoral sul de Pernambuco- Brasil. Bol. Tec. Cient. Cepene 8, 55-71.
Branco, J., 1993, Aspectos bioecológicos do caranguejo-uçá (Linnaeus 1763) (Crustácea, Decapoda) do manguezal do Itacorubi, Santa Catarina, BR. Arq. Biol. Technol. 36, 133-148.
Cabrera Pena, J., Vives Jiminnez, F., Solano Lopez, Y., 1994, Size and sex ratio of Ucides occidentalis (Gecarcinidae) in a mangrove of Costa Rica. Uniciencia 11, 97-99.
Castro, A. C. L., 1986, Aspectos bio-ecológicos do caranguejo-uçá, Ucides cordatus cordatus (Linnaeus, 1763), no estuário do Rio dos Cachorros e Estreito do Coqueiro, São Luís, Maranhão. Bol. Lab. Hidrobiol. 7, 7-26.
Cicin-Sain B., Knecht R.W., 1998, Integrated coastal and ocean management: Concepts and Practices. Island Press, Washington, DC.
Clark J.R., 1994, Integrated management of coastal zones. FAO Fish. Tech. Pap. Roma.
Conan G.Y, 1985, Periodicity and phasing of molting. In: Wenner A. M. (Ed.) Factors in adult growth. Rotterdam, A. A. Balkema, pp. 73-100.
De Boer, W.F., Longamane, F.A., 1996, The exploitation of intertidal food resources in Inhaca Bay, Mozambique, by shorebirds and humans. Biol. Conserv. 78, 295-303. CrossRef
Delevati Colpo, K., Negreiros-Fransozo, M.L., 2004, Comparison of the population structure of the fiddler crab Uca vocator (Herbst, 1804) from three subtropical mangrove forests. Sci. Mar. 68, 139-146. CrossRef
Diele K., 2000, Life history and population structure of the exploited mangrove crab Ucides cordatus cordatus (Linnaeus, 1763) (Decapoda: Brachyura) in the Caeté Estuary, North Brazil. ZMT Contrib. 9, Bremen.
Ehrhardt, N.M., Die, D.J., Restrepo, V.R., 1990, Abundance and impact of fishing on a stone crab (Menippe merceneria) population in Everglades National Park, Florida. Bull. Mar. Sci. 46, 311-323.
FAOSTAT data 2004, Fisheries Data, last accessed October 2004. (http://faostat.fao.org/faostat/form?collection= Fishery.Primary&Domain=Fishery& servlet=1&hasbulk=0&version=ext)
Feliciano C., 1962, Notes on the biology and economic importance of the land crab Cardisoma guanhumi Latreille of Puerto Rico. Spec. Contrib. Inst. Mar. Biol., Univ. of Puerto Rico, pp.1-29.
Fisher R.A., 1930, The genetical theory of natural selection. Clarendon Press, Oxford.
Foale, S., 1999, Local ecological knowledge and biology of the land crab Cardisoma hirtipes (Decapoda: Gecarcinidae) at West Nggela, Solomon Islands. Pac. Sci. 53, 37-49.
Glaser, M., 2003, Interrelations between mangrove ecosystems, local economy and social sustainability in the Caeté estuary, North Brazil. Wetl. Ecol. Manage. 11, 265-272. CrossRef
Glaser, M., Diele, K., 2004, Asymmetric outcomes: Assessing central aspects of the biological, economic and social sustainability of a mangrove crab fishery, Ucides cordatus (Ocypodidae), in North Brazil. Ecol. Econ. 49, 361-373. CrossRef
Glaser, M., da Silva, R., 2004, Prospects for the co-management of mangrove ecosystems on the North Brazilian coast: Whose rights, whose duties and whose priorities? Nat. Res. Forum 28, 224-233. CrossRef
Hartnoll R.G., 1982, Growth. In: Abele L.G. (Ed.) The biology of Crustacea, Academic Press, New York, pp.11-196..
Hartnoll, R.G., Gould, P., 1988, Brachyuran life-history strategies and the optimisation of egg production. Symp. Zool. Soc. Lond. 59, 1-9.
Hartnoll, R.G., Bryant, A.D., 1990, Size-frequency distributions in decapod crustacea - the quick, the dead, and the cast-offs. J. Crust. Biol. 10, 14-19. CrossRef
Holme N.A., McIntyre A.D., 1984, Methods for the study of marine benthos. IBP Handbook no.16. Blackwell Scientific Publication.
Hilborne, R., Punt, A.E., Orensanz, J., 2004, Beyond band-aids in fisheries management: fixing world fisheries. Bull. Mar. Sci. 74, 493-507.
Hilborne, R., Orensanz, J.M., Parma, A.M., 2005, Institutions, incentives and the future of fisheries. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B 360, 47-57. CrossRef
INMET, 1992, Normais climatológicas (1961-1990). Tech. Rep., Instituto Nacional de Meterologia. http://www.inmet.gov.br.
Ivo, C.T.C., Dias, A.F., Mota, I.R., 1999, Estudo sobre a biologia do caranguejo-uçá, Ucides cordatus cordatus (Linnaeus, 1763), capturado no Delta do Rio Parnaíba, estado Piauí. Bol. Tec. Cient. Cepene 7, 53-84.
Jennings, S., Polunin, N.V.C., 1996, Effects of fishing effort and catch rate upon the structure and biomass of Fijian reef fish communities. J. Appl. Ecol. 33, 400-412. CrossRef
Jennings, S. J.D., Reynolds, D., Mills, S.C., 1998, Life history correlates of responses to fisheries exploitation. Proc. R. Soc. London. 265, 333-339. CrossRef
Jennings, S.J.D., Reynolds, J.D., Polunin, N.V.C., 1999, Predicting the vulnerability of tropical reef fishes to exploitation with phylogenies and life histories. Conserv. Biol. 13, 1466-1475. CrossRef
Koch, V., Wolff, M., 2002, Energy budget and ecological role of mangrove epibenthos in the Caeté estuary, North Brazil. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 228, 119-130. CrossRef
Koch, V., Wolff, M., Diele, K, 2005, Comparative population dynamics of four sympatric fiddler crab species (Ocypodidae, Genus Uca) for a North Brazilian mangrove ecosystem. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 291, 177-188. CrossRef
Kjerfve B., de Lacerda L.D., 1993, Management and status of the mangroves in Brazil. In: de Lacerda, L.D. (Ed.) Conservation and sustainable utilisation of mangrove forests in Latin America and Africa regions, Part 1, Latin America, ISME, Inter.Soc. Mangrove Ecosystems, Okinawa, pp. 245-272.
Krause, G, Schories, D., Glaser, M., Diele, K., 2001, Spatial patterns of mangrove ecosystems: The Bragantinian mangrove of North Brazil (Bragança, Pará). Ecotropica 7, 93-107.
Maneschy M.C., 1993, Pescadores nos manguezais: Estratégias técnicas e relações sociais de produção na captura de caranguejo. In: Furtado L.G., Leitão W., de Mello A.F. (Eds.) Povos das Águas. Realidade e Perspectivas na Amazônia.. PR/MCT/CNPq. Museu Paraense E. Goeldi, Pará, Brazil, pp. 19-62.
McKoy, J.L., Esterman, D.B., 1981, Growth of tagged rock lobsters (Jasus edwarsii) near Stewart Island, New Zealand. New Zeal. J. Mar. Freshw. Res. 19, 457-466. CrossRef
Mehlig U., 2001, Aspects of tree primary production in an equatorial mangrove forest in Brazil. ZMT Contrib. 14, Bremen.
Menezes, M.P.M., Berger, U., Worbes, M., 2003, Annual growth rings and long-term growth patterns of mangrove trees from the Bragança peninsula, north Brazil. Wetl. Ecol. Manage. 11, 233-242. CrossRef
Miller, T.J., 2001, Matrix-based modeling of blue crab population dynamics with applications to the Chesapeake Bay. Estuaries 24, 535-544. CrossRef
Nordi, N., 1994, A produção dos catadores de caranguejo-uçá (Ucides cordatus) na regiao de Várzea Nova, Paraíba, Brasil. Ver. Nordestina Biol. 9, 71-77.
Nordhaus I., 2004, Feeding Ecology of the semi-terrestrial crab Ucides cordatus cordatus (Decapoda: Brachyura) in a mangrove forest in northern Brazil. ZMT Contrib. 18, Bremen.
O'Bannon B.K., 2002, Fisheries of the United States 2001. p. 18. National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Science and Technology, Fisheries Statistics and Economics Division. U.S. Dept. Commerce. Silver Spring, Maryland. http://www.st.nmfs.gov/st1/fus/fus01/2001-fus.pdf
Ogawa, M., Alves, T.T., Caland-Noronha, M.C, Araipe, C.A.E, Maia, E.L., 1973, Industrialização do caranguejo Uçá, Ucides cordatus (Linneaus). I – Técnicas para o processamento do carne. Arq. Ciênc. Mar. 13, 31-37.
Ostrensky, A., Sternhain, U.S., Brun, E., Wegbecher, F.X., Pestana, D., 1995, Technical and economic feasibility analysis of the culture of the land crab Ucides cordatus (Linnaeus, 1763) in Paraná coast, Brazil. Arq. Biol. Tecnol. 38, 939-947.
Pauly, D., 1998, Tropical fishes: patterns and propensities. J. Fish Biol. A 53, 1-17.
Pinheiro, M.A.A., Fiscarelli, A.G., Hattori, G.Y., 2005, Growth of the mangrove crab Ucides cordatus (Brachyura, Ocypodidae). J. Crust. Biol. 25, 293-301. CrossRef
Rugolo, L.J., Knott, K.S., Lange, A.M., Crecco, V.A., 1998, Stock assessment of Chesapeake Bay blue crab (Callinectes sapidus Rathbun). J. Shellfish Res. 17, 493-517.
Schories D., Barletta-Bergan A., Barletta M., Krumme U., Mehlig U., Rademaker V. 2003, The keystone role of leaf-removing crabs in mangrove forests of North Brazil. Wetl. Ecol. Manage. 11, 243-255.
Smith, M.T., Addison, J.T., 2003, Methods for stock assessment of crustacean fisheries. Fish. Res. 65, 231-256. CrossRef
Taissoun E., 1974, El cangrejo de tierra Cardisoma guanhumi (Latreille) en Venezuela. I. Métodos de captura, comercializacion e industrializacion. II. Medidas e recomendaciones para la conservacion de la espécie. Bol. Cent. Invest. Biol., Univ. del Zulia, 10, 1-36.
Underwood A.J., 1997, Experiments in ecology. Cambridge University Press.
Uphoff, J.H Jr., 1998, Stability of the blue crab stock in Maryland's portion of Chesapeake Bay. J. Shellfish Res. 17, 519-528.
Warner, G.F., 1969, The occurrence and distribution of crabs in a Jamaican mangrove swamp. J. Anim. Ecol. 38, 379-389. CrossRef
Wenner, A.M., 1972, Sex ratio as a function of size in marine Crustacea. Am. Nat. 106, 321-350. CrossRef
Willson, M.F., Pianka, E.R., 1963, Sexual selection, sex ratio and mating systems. Am. Nat. 97, 405-407. CrossRef
Zhang, Z., Hajas, W., Phillips, A., Boutillier, J.A., 2004, Use of length-based models to estimate biological parameters and conduct yield analyses for male Dungeness crab (Cancer magister). Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 612, 2126-2134. CrossRef