Subsistence shellfish harvesting in the Maputaland Marine Reserve in northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: Sandy beach organisms Original Research Article

When the Maputaland Marine Reserve was proclaimed in 1986, conservation authorities held divergent opinions on whether traditional subsistence harvesting of the intertidal resources should be allowed to continue. A monitoring programme was therefore instituted, with the assistance of the local community, to quantify the intertidal harvest as a first step to assessing its sustainability. Catch and effort data for ghost crabs Ocypode spp. and mole crabs Emerita austroafricana and Hippa ovalis over a 7-year period are discussed here. Total (day and night) harvests declined from 146 000 ghost crabs and 129 000 mole crabs in 1989 to 86 000 ghost crabs and 80 000 mole crabs in 1993. However, effort also declined and the mean annual catch per unit effort for night catches, which comprised 89% of the total catch, changed little, averaging 28·3 ghost crabs and 24·5 mole crabs per harvester per night. About 8% of the ghost crab harvest is sold, generating an annual income of R1700. There are no indications that harvesting of ghost crabs and mole crabs is unsustainable, and harvesting effort appears to be decreasing. No change in management is recommended.