Macataea is a coral island in French Polynesia in the South Pacific.
On Makataea Island is a coral atoll that has been destroyed by decades of mining activity, and looking for crabs here is tantamount to gambling under dangerous terrain.
Sunset over Macatea Island, French Polynesia, a mining area formerly known as the "Mining Area".
In the dead of night, crab catchers here wear white plastic sandals, beach shorts, tank tops and a belt tied with a rope. Picking a small sprig of wild mint and tucking it behind their ears was their custom of praying for good luck.
Crab catchers wear shiny headlamps into the forest in search of coconut crabs, which locals call kava. They are the largest land invertebrates in the world and are delicious when boiled or sautéed with coconut milk. Since the phosphate mines here ceased in 1966, they have become one of The Makataea Island's largest exports.
The coconut crab (Birgus latro), the world's largest terrestrial invertebrate, seems to have fully adapted to the cave-filled island. (They can climb on almost anything.) )
It's a place where ankles can be sprained, with the roots of pandanus trees and the ancient reefs that never end.
Among the traps set by crab catchers are notched coconuts tied to trees with coconut shell fibers. When the crab catcher reaches a trap, he turns off the lights, then quietly approaches and pounces on it.
Moments later, the crab catcher stood up, and a sky-blue crab in his hand was pedaling its ten legs in a circle in the air. Even though the coconut crab's abdomen is bent under other parts of the body, the animal is much longer than a human hand.
Crabs' pliers can easily pinch fingers, so before putting them in a backpack, the crab catcher grabs some hemp rope from his belt and wraps it up and holds it in place.
The crab catcher skillfully pinches the back of the coconut crab to prevent it from being caught by its crab claws.
Macataea is part of the Tuamotu Islands of French Polynesia, located in the South Pacific Ocean, about 240 km northeast of Tahiti. It is a small uplifted coral atoll, only about 7 km wide at its widest point, with steep limestone cliffs 76 meters above sea level.
About two-thirds of Makataea island is still virgin forest, an ecosystem that is increasingly rare in the Tuamotu Islands.
From 1908 to 1966, Macataea was home to the largest industrial project in French Polynesia: 11 million tons of phosphate-rich sand were dug up and exported to agriculture, medicine and munitions. When mining stopped, the population fell from about 3,000 to less than 100. Today, there are about 80 full-time residents. Most of them lived in the middle of the island, near the ruins of an old mining town that was now rotting into the jungle.
The old mining town of Makataea has fallen into disrepair.
One-third of Macataea Island is a labyrinth of more than 1 million deep circular holes known as mining areas, a legacy left by mining operations. Crossing into that area, especially at night, when coconut crabs are active, can be deadly. Many of the caves are more than 30 meters deep, and the rock walls in the middle are narrow. Still, some crab catchers did so, hoping to reach the fertile crab habitat across the river.
The extraction area from the one seen above. During the mining era, workers dug out phosphate-rich sand from these naturally formed limestone columns. They are now empty and pose a great threat to anyone who tries to cross the region.
Before sunset, crab catchers wear flip-flops and trot on rock tips, keeping their balance at the edge of the cave entrance. Crab catchers often cross the extraction area in the evening to catch crabs, and at night he will carry a bag of crabs home in the dark.
For local crab catchers, it's comfortable to walk around in a dangerous environment with flip-flops.
How deep the cave is, you can feel it through the photo above.
Crab catchers, wearing flip-flops, risk their lives to wander the edges of the once-active phosphate extraction area.
Coconut crabs are adventurous omnivores that eat fruits, nuts, plants and carrion, and occasionally birds or mice.
Coconut crabs inhabit a wide range, from the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean to the Pitcairn Islands in the South Pacific. They were part of the local diet long before the mining era. The largest specimen is called "les monstres", which can be as long as an adult's arm and live for up to a century.
No studies have shown an approximate number of them on the island, but what is known is that even at night, they rattlle among the rocks and seem to be everywhere.
The coconut crab's soft color masks its astonishing power, which is more powerful than the biting power of most land predators.
Crabs are sold at local grocery stores, but they can also be used as currency on the island, and 5 medium-sized crabs can be purchased on credit at the $50 store.
When catching illegal crabs, whether female crabs or crabs smaller than 6 cm on the carapace, the crab catcher will let them go. If the island's inhabitants are not careful, these crab resources may not be left to future generations. In many parts of the Indo-Pacific, some animals have been hunted to the point of extinction, or have become extinct on a local scale.
A crab catcher places a coconut crab trap.
The crab catcher is made of fallen coconuts.
Makataea Island is at a crossroads. Half a century after the first mining era, there is still a proposal for further phosphate mining outstanding. While the island's mayor and other supporters have cited the economic benefits of work and income, opponents say new industrial activity will destroy the island, including its fledgling tourism industry.
"We can't let her suffer anymore," the locals said.
Makataea's only port, called Temao, was built in the mining era and the remains of cranes and loading docks still stand.
Still, it's difficult to make a living here because there are no job opportunities. Some residents make ends meet by shipping dozens of coconut crabs to buyers on Tahiti for $10 each.
Coconut crabs must be carefully bundled and gently wrapped in damp leaves to ensure they can sail alive to Tahitian Island.
The crabs are segregated in separate boxes to prevent them from attacking each other. Crab catchers will feed them coconuts and water to purify their bodies, because in the wild, they eat a wide variety of foods, including carrion.
After these coconut crabs have been purified for a period of time, they will be given to the buyer.
During the day, their shells are rainbows of purple, white, and orange, as well as many shades of blue. The coconut crabs here seem to be perfectly adapted to the caves and everything on Macataea Island.
The ruins of the mining and extraction area at sunset are beautiful, and the greenery that grows out of the caves resembles artistic flower arrangements in a vase.
Some coconut crabs are blue-orange in color, as beautiful as the evening sky, but when cooked, they will turn red like other crabs.
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