The WWF is run at a local level by the following offices...

The double "garigary", the crab scale 2.0!

Posté le 13 novembre 2020

Rabesoa Anicet from the village of Antsatrana, 32 years old and father of 5 children, is one of the 131 fishers trained to make crab balances in 2017.

This circular fishing gear, with a mesh size of 12 cm, allows fishers to catch only crabs larger than 11 cm. It is a sustainable fishing tool that ensures a very interesting yield for the coastal communities of Ambaro Bay, northwestern Madagascar. Aware that he could improve its catches in quantity and quality, Anicet invented the "double garigary". This initiative is supported by WWF, with the backing of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

It is an innovation of the simple crab balance. Consisting of 2 hoops, the "double garigary" potentially allows doubling the catches while reducing the physical effort of fishing. It also increases fishing yields with large caliber specimens.

"With this double crab balance, I can fish up to 60 kg of crabs in addition to the 3 to 4 kg of fish for an average of 4 hours of fishing, during the high season," he confides to us. Thanks to the increase in his production, he was able to build a large house for his family, send his children to school and take care of his brother who is now going to the University of Diego-Suarez. This record productivity of 60 kg of crabs per fishing trip is also the result of the mangrove restoration actions carried out by the local communities of Antsatrana, as well as the various management measures put in place.

Wanting to share this good practice with other fishers, Anicet has organized a series of training sessions on the manufacture and use of "double garigary" in the surrounding villages. About a hundred fishers in 4 surrounding villages have benefited from its expertise. Today, many fishers from Antsatrana and the surrounding villages have all converted to the use of this fishing gear improved by local know-how.