Some residents of Long Level in Yallahs, St Thomas want a thriving crab industry to be developed in the parish to provide an income for the many unemployed people in the rural communities.

Hundreds of crabs are said to be living near the marshlands in Port Morant and are an easy catch whenever it rains.

Last week, a small group of men who went crab-hunting for just over four hours returned with 15 dozen crabs which were being boiled and sold for $100 each when the Jamaica Observer North East visited the community.

“We would love to see a crab industry develop because we have so many of them over here, and there are so many different ways to prepare crab meat that we could have a thriving business,” explained one female resident who was among the group manning the pot.

The four men who undertook the few miles trek through the bush to Port Morant at 10:00 pm last Monday said they could have caught a lot more crabs if they had more people in the group and if they were prepared to stay longer.

Ricardo Peart, one of those who undertook the midnight trip, explained that they were very careful not to catch those crabs that were carrying eggs so as not to reduce the population.

“So when wi tek dem up wi look under dem belly and whichever ones have eggs we put dem back,” he said, adding that one crab can produce hundreds of eggs.

The residents explained that the crustaceans, which can be found in great abundance whenever it rains, are fairly big and could readily fetch three times what they were selling them for that day.

“A crab like this sell a town fi all $300,” one resident said, pointing to one of the animals.

Devon Peart explained that the motivation behind the crab hunt was not solely to make a profit from the sales, but also to provide an opportunity for some of the residents to be able to hang out and have a good time

“Today we are just here doing this to build a vibes and to come together and unite because it’s been awhile since you would have passed here and see so many of us a gather in the community like this,” he said.

According to the residents, they used to go crab-hunting more frequently but had not done so for a very long time.

“The rain fall the other night and four of us just decide fi just get some bag and flashlight and go through the bush and look how much crab wi get. Wi never really put no great preparation in it,” Ricardo Peart said.

The men explained that on seeing how large the catch was they decided to set up a fire by the busy thoroughfare and by 8:00 am the crabs were simmering and ready for sale.

“We just get some escallion, thyme, pimento and some noodle and just put them on to boil,” he said, while taking a turn at stirring the pot. He explained that the crabs have to be cooked while they are still alive. The process lasts for about 30 minutes.