In Surat Thani, Thailand, blue swimming crabs are essential to marine ecosystems and local livelihoods. However, decades of overfishing have severely depleted their populations. To combat this, local communities have established crab banks to protect egg-carrying females, and release millions of larvae and juvenile crabs into the ocean each year. These efforts, combined with protected refugia sites, are helping to restore crab populations, though challenges such as illegal fishing remain.

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The full version of this story was published on Mongabay.