The beauty of Marina Beach is that it never fails to surprise you. One morning, when I visited the beach to avoid people and have some ‘me’ time, I was greeted with a curious sight. A man bent painfully low was closely investigating the sand near the shore as if in quest of something precious. Seeing something move in the sand he quickly thumped his feet on top of it and dug that portion. Putting his hand inside the hole he pulled something out and put it in a plastic bag. After a while, he repeated the whole process. I was so eager to know what he was up to that I went to have a closer look and realised he was catching crabs with his bare hands.
Forty five-year-old Veeramani, a fisherman, has been doing this for years. He catches fresh crabs and takes them home where his wife cooks it for the family. When I asked him where he learnt this method, he chuckled and said: “Nobody teaches a fisherman how to fish. I used to see people catch crabs like this and I learnt it by watching them.”
According to Veeramani, the best time to go hunting for crabs is between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. “This is when the bigger ones come out to the shore. In an hour, I manage to catch 20 to 30 crabs after many failed attempts,” he added, explaining that the bigger the hole in the sand the bigger the crab.
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He tried to show me the technique, but it seemed to be one of his unlucky days. You have to be very quick. When you see a crab moving, you must attack it immediately, else it will burry itself deep in the sand,” he said. These crabs could be sold for Rs. 15 to 20 per piece depending on the size. “We usually let go the smaller ones,” he added. The engaging conversation ended with Veeramani apologising that he did not manage a big catch.