Assessing Sustainability Aspects of Mud Crab (Scylla sp.) Fishery and Its Link to Social-Ecological Traps in the Bangladesh Sundarbans

Abstract Small-scale fisheries are affected by both local and external pressures, despite the contribution to poverty alleviation, employment, and food and nutritional security. Diverse social and ecological pressures make small-scale fishing communities trapped in persistent cycles of a particular fisheries resource dependence. Consequently, the overall sustainability of that particular species, especially biological, economic and social aspects, becomes vulnerable. This study investigates the biological, economic, and social aspects of a commercially important fish species, i.e., mud crab (Scylla sp.) and explores its link to social-ecological traps. The findings show how the social-ecological traps are forming based on mud crab resource utilization, poverty, overcapitalization and seasonality of crab availability, coupled with weak institutions and governance. Apart from ongoing environmental risks (e.g., extreme climate events), negative feedback comes from poor enforcement of rules and regulations, illegal and destructive fishing, inadequate income, social conflicts, and declining stock. In response to crises, fishers are increasingly dependent on middlemen, leading to the unfair price of their products compared to the market. To escape from the social-ecological traps, strong local institutions, alternative income opportunities, compliance of fishing laws (e.g., gear selectivity, harvest, and trade prohibition of undersize crabs), strong collaboration between management authority and local stakeholders are important toward ensuring the sustainability of the mud crab fishery in the Bangladesh Sundarbans.