Who Will Control the Blue Revolution? Economic and Social Feasibility of Caribbean Crab Mariculture

New mariculture technologies that use "appropriate" technology or rely on the natural productivity of the oceans to supply feed sources for seafood farming in coastal waters are being developed. These technologies may be feasible for small-scale commercial mariculture projects implemented by fishermen-farmers in developing countries. This article presents research data regarding the economic and social feasibility of the adoption of a new mariculture technology by artisanal fishermen in two small fishing villages in Antigua and the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean. The technology involves growing algae on offshore screens and feeding it to Caribbean spider crabs (Mithrax spinosissimus) raised in offshore cages. The research indicates that the adoption of crab mariculture by fishing crews is feasible because they have requisite values, skills, corporate resources, market relationships, and territorial rights. However, fishing crews may lack start-up capital and may require visible evidence of technological feasibility before adoption. If fishermen make a commitment to mariculture, their new activity may conflict with other relationships in their villages and they may catch fewer subsistence fish for local and urban markets.