CRAB CATCHING

Recently the Caribbean Carousel went for a pleasant day at Mayaro Beach in south eastern Trinidad.
While we were there we came met a boy who sells blue crabs on the Mayaro road side.

Hi! My name is Jovin, I am nine years old and I live in Mayaro and love to catch Blue crabs which I sell for money to buy school books and to buy snacks . I also help mummy.





The blue crab lives in the sand on the beaches and along the river banks where it digs its crab holes in the mud with its pointed sharp toes.

I catch the crab with a trap that I make with a bamboo section cut so that one end is blocked by the joint and the other open for the crab to enter, then I make a bow made from old car tire rubber tube and the trap door which is about 5 inches long and three inches wide and rounded at the bottom edge and a trigger which is baited and will cause the door to close when the crab enters the trap.

For bait I use a piece of coconut but bait is not necessary, I place the trap over the crab hole where the crab lives and leave it for a while.





I set about ten traps every day and catch many crabs. I release any small ones to get bigger and any female crabs that have eggs or babies in its belly flap so that we will have more crabe in the future. The male crab has a narrow pointed flap and the female crab has a round wide flap where she holds her eggs.

I use vines that run along the ground on the beach to "Buckle" the crab for sale by tying the "Gungy" or claw to the body of the crab around the base of the legs.





I tie about ten crabs in a bunch, depending on the size the crabs and hang them on a pole on the side of the main road and shout out to drivers as the cars go by. I sell all my crabs on the week end.

The Blue crab tastes very nice and is very good curried and is great in a "Calaloo"

Crab Callaloo

1 bunch fresh dasheen Bush (or spinach,Bhagee,) chopped
2 ounces salt pork, chopped
8 ounces coconut milk
5 cups water
1 lg. onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces chopped okra
8 ounces crab meat, two or three crabs

Place first 6 ingredients in a large stew pot and simmer until the salt pork is tender. Then add the okra and crab meat. Simmer for 5 minutes and season with salt and pepper.