This work was carried out in two small fishing communities, Barra de Mamanguape and Tramataia, Northeastern Brazil. The aim was to study these traditional fishermen's knowledge and perception about tide and wind classifications, as well as their fishing strategies and techniques. Our research methodology involved various techniques: free interviews and semi-structured ones, guided tours and direct observations. The results obtained show the fishermen's classification of the tides according to the phases of the moon: 'breaking tide', 'flushing tide', 'dead tide' and 'big tide' designated technically these last as neap tide and spring tide, respectively. Wind is also an essential factor for the fishermen to make successful catches, and they classify it according to direction: North, South, East, Southeast, Southwest, Northeast and Northwest. The data show that fishermen's knowledge can also be useful in devising plans for management and conservation studies for this estuary.

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The present study was undertaken in two traditional communities that are located on the margins of the estuary and mangrove complex of the Mamanguape River, Paraíba state (PB), Brazil. This work describes the crabs capture techniques tapamento and redinha, and identifies the negative socio-environmental impacts of redinha, using qualitative methods (open and semi-structured interviews, guided tours, direct observation and the administration of questionnaires). Results indicate that currently only two principle techniques are used to capture Ucides cordatus: redinha and tapamento. Tapamento has a low impact in relation to redinha. Redinha was pointed out by interviewees as a system that has social impact (social conflicts, breaking of traditions, substitution and extinction of techniques) and environmental impact (less selective captures and high productivity, mangrove pollution, death of crabs caught in traps, cutting of the roots of Rhizophora mangle, micro-habitat loss resulting from galleries destroyed and polluted). Knowledge of crab harvesting carried out using these two techniques and the possible social and environmental impacts caused by redinha, can lead to more effective planning and actions towards the conservation of the species.

Two traditional fishing communities situatedon the margins of the Mamanguape River estuary-mangrove complex, Paraiba State, Brazil, were studied to determine themotivations for their rapid transition from traditional harvesting techniques (braceamento and tapamento) to redinha(little-net) trapping. Our results indicate that the crab harvesters were prompted into changing their techniques primarilydue to higher production rates with redinha. Additionally, there were disadvantages in using both the braceamento andtapamento techniques (including greater chances of accidents and acquiring diseases) that reinforced this transition. Thebehavioral characteristic of the crabs living in denser gallery forest specifically hindered capture using the braceamentotechnique. This fast transition of harvesting techniques is a major concern from a conservation standpoint as the redinhacauses environmental impacts and threatens both the mangrove ecosystem and the populations of caranguejo-uçá crabs(Ucides cordatus). Thus this study examined a problem that is both environmental and social, as traditional techniqueswere less profitable than the new harvesting method but had much less impact – while the redinha helps with crabharvesting and increases income at the cost of higher environmental impacts.