Crab hunting in Guadeloupe
The Creole way of celebrating easter
With a machete and a trap in one hand and a smoke in the other, Jahmai moves through the jungle like Tarzan swinging on a vine, locating the traps he had strategically placed the day before. He knows the area like the back of his hand and exactly where to find the gold of the jungle. He explains that, for the Creole Easter, crabs are the highlight, traditionally enjoyed in a soup, with friends and family camping on the beach.
Jahmai is using an old hunting technique with traps called zatrap. In Creole, locals refer to it as bwét á krab. He places a piece of sugar cane inside the trap, and when the crab takes it, the string that keeps the entrance open is pulled, and boom! The crab is caught!
The crab is later sold alive, and if it's a good size, he can make up to 15 euros per crab. With a profitable business like this, Jahmai is not the only crab hunter in the area. Sharing the same playing field with others means rivalry. Therefore, crab thievery commonly occurs, and hiding your tracks is a highly necessary skill to keep your crabs for yourself!
