Crab Replenishment Reserve
est. 2002
About
Established in 2002, the Crab Replenishment Reserve was established so that land crabs would be able to reproduce to meet the demands of heavy harvesting by Bahamians. This 4,000 acre reserve in Central Andros includes both inland areas where crabs burrow and coastal regions where they can deposit their eggs. There is no doubt that land crabs are an important food source throughout the Bahamas, even having an annual festival in Andros.
Wilderness
This park has little infrastructure and trail systems.
Crabs (Food) for the future.
The White and Black Land Crabs have been a food staple for Bahamians for decades. Whether they were prepared into the famous Bahamian crab n’ dough, or they were disjointed and served in rice, the high demand for these ten-legged creatures took a toll on populations.
“Crab Catching” is the activity of venturing into the coppice forests at night to capture land crabs by hand and put them into specialized carrying bags called Crocus sacks. These crabs will then be kept in specialized pens and fed water and native fruits for a while before being shipped to Nassau to be sold.
The island of Andros is vast and undeveloped, meaning there’s a lot of space for land crabs to live. They are nocturnal and ‘crab season’ is during the summer months when these animals are not deep down in their burrows. There are real studies on Crab populations on any Bahamian islands but as a safeguard measure, concerned citizens along with the Bahamas National Trust advocated for this area to be set aside to ensure this unique tradition and food staple can be around for the future.