When I was a child I remember my parents would go crab hunting along Old Cutler Road. Weather conditions had to be perfect, the moon had to be full and if it was a rainy night that is all they needed to pack the kids into my uncle’s van and drive what I thought was hours until we arrived to what is now Palmetto Bay. It was an adventure for me and my cousins, until we realized that we were stuck in the van, because we were bait for the mosquitoes. Regardless, my father being the tough guy he has always been would catch the little suckers with his bare hands. He thought it was funny, my mother thought he was crazy.
After a few hours of this we usually had a fairly large amount of crabs thrown in the back of the van in a metal garbage can, where they would struggle to get out and my sister and I would scream every time the top was opened to make room for a few more. Once we arrived home my grandmother would take care of the rest and the next day we would all feast in front of a huge pot of tasty, tender crabmeat cooked to perfection with lots and lots of spices. Many people find this a delicacy and is very popular in the Bahamas and Caribbean Islands. It would take us a while to devour them but it was great time spent with family talking, laughing and eating!!
Last night as my husband and I drove home down Old Cutler Road, this memory came to mind. The road was full of crabs, some had managed to cross, others unfortunately had met their demise. The moon was full and obviously it had rained almost the entire day, so the conditions were perfect. I confess we were tempted to grab a few and have ourselves a feast, but I knew there was a restriction and season to crab hunting. Since I was not sure what that was we chose not to chance it.
I researched this as soon as we arrived home and discovered there is some concern that land crab populations are declining; the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has adopted a rule to limit the take of blue land crabs. The rule, in part, states the season for taking land crabs is closed from July 1 through Oct. 31, there is a 20-per-day limit, harvesting must be by hand or with the use of a landing or dip net, and no egg-bearing females may be taken. For more information: http://myfwc.com/
So after November 1st you will be able to find me along Old Cutler Road when the moon is full wearing long pants, long sleeved shirt and lots of mosquito repellent with a big net and a bag for my crabby feast!!!