In 2016, Category 5 Cyclone Winston pounded Fiji, impacting the livelihoods of 62% of the country's population. Cyclone related damage and loss to fisheries alone were estimated to be US $ 19.7 million. Although largely domestic, the mud crab fishery in Fiji provides essential food and livelihoods for many local communities with access to mangrove forests. Previous research by WCS Fiji helped establish baselines on catch, size preferences, prices and markets targeted by fishers and the contribution of the fishery to household income. These efforts established that women fishers dominate the mud crab fishery, whereas men invest more in fishing coastal reefs and the open ocean.

Following the cyclone, WCS and partners conducted a follow up survey to examine the social and economic impacts of this natural disaster. The objectives were to develop recommendations for promoting mud-crab recovery efforts by the local communities. The research found that some fishers had stopped collecting mud-crabs because of damage to fishing grounds or damage to boats while others had reduced the time they allocated to mud-fishing so that they could help with the rebuilding efforts after the cyclone. Many surveyed fishers reported a reduction in the number of mud-crabs caught after the cyclone. However, the average price of crabs had risen from US $5.26 to $6.76 per kg, with crabs sold by men fetching a higher price. The survey also identified other livelihoods and sources of income that mud-crab fishers relied upon including kava root collecting, weaving and coconuts. The majority (>87%) of fishers agreed that mangroves provide protection for fish, crabs and other invertebrates. They also recognized that mangroves protected shorelines, breeding grounds for many species and prevented erosion of the river banks.