Mortalidade do Ucides cordatus (LINNAEUS, 1763), durante a comercialização na cidade de Fortaleza, Ceará, Brasil

Abstract

The insufficient natural stock of mangrove crabs in Ceará State led to the import from other regions. The commerce of crabs today face the problem of high mortality rates during transportation. The present work aimed to evaluate the mortality in the different stages of the transport chain. The first stage goes from the crab capture in the mangroves until boarded in the supplier’s boats. The average mortality at this stage was low, at 3.30%. In the second stage, the animals are transported from Carnaubeiras (Maranhão State) to the city of Ilha Grande de Santa Isabel (Piauí State). The calculate mortality at this stage was 6.14%, a percentage that can still be considered low. The third stage presented the largest mortality rate, with 40.25% of the animals dying during the process. This stage corresponds to the long transport in inadequate conditions from Piauí to the city of Fortaleza (Ceará State). The last stage is the distribution of the crabs to the beach tents and restaurants, with an average mortality of 18.15%.