By: Muhamad Iqbal (Fisheries Assistant, WWF-Indonesia Inner Banda Arc Sub-Seascape)

One of the fishermen in Ohoi Evu once said, "As many leaves as mangi-mangior mangroves that fall, that many crabs in nature". However, the belief that has been passed down for generations is different from the reality. The crab catch in Ohoi Evu has decreased due to the activities of fishermen who are not environmentally friendly. Therefore, WWF-Indonesia through its Fisheries Improvement Program(FIP) initiated to form a mangrove crab fishermen assistance group, Sinar Abadi, so that fishermen can implement sustainable fisheries practices by conducting environmentally friendly fishing.

If we talk about mangrove crabs on Kei Kecil Island, it cannot be separated from Ohoi or Evu Village as one of the mangrove crab producers since 1980. Ohoi Evu is located in area Hoat Soarbay or Surabaya Bay has an area of 959.05 Ha with abundant natural resources and the largest mangrove area in the Kei Islands. In fact, tourists are more familiar with Ohoi Evu as a tourist destination famous for the clarity of its river water, rather than as a producer of mangrove crabs. With a catch of more than 250 kg per month, fishermen catch mangrove crabs using traditional tools in the form of traps made of bamboo or better known as Bubu.

Over the past few years the Sinar Abadi group has learned a lot about sustainable fisheries management by recording catches, applying catch sizes and also being involved in monitoring mangrove ecosystems in Hoat Soarbay. The sustainable fisheries practices that have been implemented in the group have received special attention from stakeholders, so WWF-Indonesia and the Southeast Maluku Fisheries Service initiated the formation of the Mangrove Crab Fisheries Management Working Group (POKJA) which aims to make the Ohoi Evu mangrove crab fishing group the first fishing group to be internationally recognized through ecolabel certificationMarine Stewardship Council (MSC).

In addition to sustainable fisheries practices, the business development of the Sinar Abadi group is considered important in improving the community's economy, especially in the Sinar Abadi group. Group business development in the form of processed mangrove crabs targets tourists as the main target of sales. Business development in the form of processed mangrove crabs is supported by several trainings that have been attended by the group, including cooking training with Chef Komunal 88 and packaging training with Fish n Blues. In addition, in order to expand the market, the Sinar Abadi Group tries to work with fishery entrepreneurs so that they can market their crabs outside the region. As for processed mangrove crabs, the role of the wives or mamafishermen were very influential in the development of the processed crab business by doing the first stage of marketing with Fish n Blues.

Based on observations in the field, it turns out that the enthusiasm of tourists, especially those from outside the city, is quite high to try processed mangrove crab products. This can be seen from the number of requests for products that continue to grow. We hope that this good market response can have a positive impact on improving the community's economy by not forgetting sustainable fishing and business in order to create #Sustainable crab resources.