Caracterización del sector helicícola andaluz: la captura de caracoles terrestres en Andalucía occidental

The global and rational management of the natural resource “terrestrial snails”, in terms of conservation and sustainable exploitation, requires to characterize naturally, socially, economically and culturally the sector “helicicola” that supports. At present work, all such aspects in relation with the gathering of snails as food are studied in Western Andalucía (SW. of Spain). The most abundant captured species are Theba pisana (Müller, 1774), Otala lactea (Müller, 1774) and Cantareus aspersus (Müller, 1774), and the main geographical areas where this activity take place are Las Marismas (Sevilla), La Janda (Cádiz) and El Campo de Gibraltar (Cádiz) counties, for T. pisana, and the county of Sierra (Cádiz) and its surrounds for O. lactea. In Western Andalucia, T. pisana is collected for sale more than for autoconsumption, from the end of spring to half-full of summer, and using intensive techniques that affect negatively non-adult individuals and the environment. In O. lactea, the gathering occurs the year throughout, autoconsumption acquires greater relevance than in T. pisana and, although the techniques are rather extensives, neither respect the most sensible phases of the biological cycle of the animals, nor basically are adapted from a hygienic point of view. The analysis of all this information pleads for the necessity to plan measures that in the short and mid term mitigate the deficient presentsituation and its consequences.