Harvesting Practices and Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) of Bahamian Land Crabs: Bridging Gaps Between Traditional and Scientific Knowledge.

ABSTRACT: Three species of land crab occur in The Bahamas; these are an important source of protein and income for Bahamian islanders. The crab harvesters represent an important and largely untapped knowledge source. We conducted surveys on the Bahamian islands of Andros, New Providence, and Eleuthera to document crabbing practices and catalogue this local ecological knowledge (LEK) of land crabs. The survey primarily employed close-ended questions targeting land crab harvesters; we also recorded general feedback from open-ended questions. Crab collection was primarily for self-consumption. Catch rates varied among islands, and were the highest on Andros. There was a preference for white land crabs (Cardisoma guanhumi) on Andros, whereas on Eleuthera and New Providence, there was no preferenc

SUBMITTER: McGaw IJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12560874 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature