Sustainability of mangrove crab (Ucides cordatus) gathering in the southeast Brazil: A MESMIS-based assessment

This study assesses the sustainability of mangrove crab (Ucides cordatus) gathering in the mangrove of the Paraíba do Sul River estuary, located in southeast Brazil. Ethnographic interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire with open- and closed-ended questions were individually conducted with 35 gatherers of U. cordatus. The gatherers' reports and data from the literature were used to measure sustainability of this production system using the Framework for the Evaluation of Natural Resource Management Systems Incorporating Sustainability Indicators (MESMIS, the acronym in Spanish for ‘Marco para la Evaluación de Sistemas de Manejo de Recursos Naturales incorporando Indicadores de Sustentabilidad’). Ten indicators were developed to assess the social, economic and ecological parameters related to the sustainability of this fishing activity. All indicators had below-ideal values, with a 47% relative sustainability index. This finding demonstrates that mangrove crabs are not sustainably gathered in the region. The indicators can be applied to other fishing systems and used by community agents themselves in routine sustainability assessments. •Crab gathering in the mangrove of the Paraíba do Sul River estuary is unsustainable.•Local gatherers are not agents of environmental transformation.•Sustainability depends on partnerships among managers, researchers and fishermen.•MESMIS method can be applied to fishery sustainability assessments.