EXTRACTION ZONES OF MANGROVE CRABS Ucides cordatus (DECAPODA: BRACHYURA) AT THE CAETÉ-TAPERAÇU MARINE EXTRACTIVIST RESERVE, PARÁ, BRAZILIAN AMAZON COAST

Abstract

The uçá crab, Ucides chordatus, is considered the most used resource for the mangrove among the people who directly depend on this ecosystem. The objective was to determine the main extraction zones of this resource through the perception of estuarine-coastal extractivists. Among the noticeable elements, observations were made about the appropriation and use of this resource at RESEX-Mar de Caeté-Taperaçu. The sample consisted of 80 extractivists aged 18 and over. The data collection instruments were the questionnaire and the interview. The treatment took place through discourse and content analysis that allowed us to interpret and understand the perceptions of the interviewees, with partial or total transcription of the speeches, highlighting some common terms observed in the speeches of these users. The quantitative data was accessed through a form to capture data on the georeferencing of the zones identified by estuarine-coastal extractivists, the biometrics of the uçá crab (measurements of the length and width of the carapace – LC) and counting of the galleries. Extractivists appropriate the uçá crab under two conditions: Easy Access (FA) and Difficult Access (DA) zones; in FA zones it was evident that physical effort and investment are “less” in fishing for the resource, but these extractivists recognize that the smaller size (≥6.0cm and ≤7.3), while, in AD zones, both the physical effort and investment are “larger”, however, extractivists realize that the size of the uçá crab for commercialization is higher (≤7.4).