
One of my favorite local food are crabs... the only
problem is their
somewhat erratic availability, which is closely tied to the visibility
(no crabs if it rains too much) and to Abraham's and Pablo's cash flow
situation. They simply don't go fishing unless they need money. If they
do, however, they bring quite a few crabs at a time. And half of them
are too small to eat without feeling badly. So what to do? Not buy the
little ones, knowing that they will still be eaten? A much more fun
solution was the construcion of a crab corral under the house. The idea
was mostly to keep crabs alive when we get them, but also to attempt to
feed the little ones to see how fast they grow.
The crab corral worked for a while, quite well, and we even stored some
lobster in it. However, one day, we noticed erratic splashy noises that
originated under the house. As it turned out, a baby nurse shark and
found its way into the corral, but not out. The crabs and lobsters,
however, did. Not that much of a loss, given that the crabs are only 50
cent a piece and they now happily populate my reef.
But the little shark had to go. I tried to catch it,
unsuccessfully, but eventually Emiliano caught it with a wire sling.
After a short photo shoot, we let it go. It was very cute. Later I
found out that they taste quite good and are quite abundant. Oh well...
next time, maybe...