Efeito da intensificação da extração e processamento de Caranguejo-Uçá (Ucides Cordatus) na Vila do Treme, Bragança, Pará

Abstract

This study analyzes the socioeconomic impacts generated by the establishment of crabprocessing factories in Vila do Treme, highlighting their implications for artisanal fishing, the commercialization of the crustacean, and the role of the Caeté-Taperaçu Marine Extractive Reserve. The research adopted a mixed-methods approach, combining semi-structured interviews with participant observation involving 110 stakeholders, including fishers, municipal and public-agency representatives, female crab processors, middlemen, and local merchants, conducted between November 2024 and April 2025. The results show that the shift from marketing live crabs to selling processed crab meat intensified exploitation of the species, contributing to overfishing, depletion of natural stocks, and the use of unsustainable harvesting techniques such as hook fishing. Resource scarcity in nearby areas spurred the expansion of the activity to more distant regions, such as Araí-Peroba and Gurupi-Piriá, creating territorial conflicts and the need for regulatory measures. Although the reserve was created in 2005 with the aim of conserving natural resources, a misalignment was found between institutional regulations and traditional knowledge particularly regarding the closed fishing season which undermined access to the federal “defeso” insurance benefit and generated dissatisfaction among fishers. The marketing logistics also changed with the introduction of land transportation and the growth of the processed-meat market: currently, about 90 % of fishers engage in crab-meat processing to increase profitability, while only 10 % continue selling live crabs. The study concludes that, although the economic reorganization of the activity has increased income generation and product availability, it has also intensified pressure on the mangrove ecosystem, jeopardizing the sustainability of Ucides cordatus harvesting. Public policies for sustainable management developed through participatory processes are therefore essential to reconcile environmental conservation with the economic livelihoods of fishing communities.