Crab farmer clawing his way back after theft

Trelawny crab farmer Jermaine Morris believes that the theft of most of his crustaceans last month has been a blessing in disguise.

Morris, 42, stated that bouncing back has been costly but worthwhile.

"Now I have to pay people to go and hunt for more crabs for me. I usually have a team of people that work for me but when the crabs were stolen, it was money that was lost so I had to use up what I had to do something else (to pay for more crab hunters)," he said. Morris told THE WEEKEND STAR that he is a firm believer that his setback was a set-up for a greater comeback.

"I now have somewhere between 3,000 to 4,000 crabs now. My stock has more than tripled and I am grateful for that," he said. "I usually promote my business everyday but since the article was published and my crabs were stolen, I have seen an increase in sales. I have seen a whole lot more calls from people who want to purchase."

In addition to the restocking, he also recently received a security system from PreeLabs Limited, which made the donation to protect the farmer from further larceny.

"I am really also thankful for the system that I received, because it was something that I have always wanted but didn't know I needed it," he said. Morris, who has been in the crab-rearing business since 2018, lost the majority of his 1,800 crabs to thieves a few days after his business was highlighted in THE STAR. But Morris rubbished the idea that the article may have caused the theft, as he had been robbed before.

"The publicity is great and the person who stole my crabs caused my story to be a lot bigger than expected because good news in Jamaica don't really go far. In reality, the person that stole my crabs really just open cans of blessings for me. I don't know if I want to say that to the person that I appreciate what they did for me," Morris said between laughter.

PreeLabs' CEO Yekini Wallen-Bryan explained that the company felt deeply connected to Morris' story.

"The news of this incident truly impacted us at PreeLabs as it's a story that we hear often: hard-working Jamaicans being brought down by others with malicious intentions. However, we thought that while this was a bad moment, it was also an opportunity to display the true Jamaican spirit by stepping up and showing our support. As a community, we can lift others if we work together. This belief is the driving force for our donation," he said.