Residents of Rae Town scramble for fish washed ashore by heavy waves. - Junior Dowie

While some Jamaicans were busy running away from the danger caused by Tropical Storm Gustav, residents of Rae Town were running towards it with buckets and anything they could find to catch fish that were being washed ashore.

The residents discovered the easy catch around 4 p.m. when they saw policemen at the seaside looking into the water. Upon investigating, they saw fish being washed ashore.

"Me see some police down there so, and mi cousin call me and wi go down there and start pick dem up," said one woman, who caught about a dozen fish.

Washed ashore

She and other residents saw the live fish being washed to shore and began collecting them. The types of fish the news team saw were grunt, parrot and grouper mostly small to medium in sizes. One man allegedly caught a jackfish, but THE STAR was unable to locate him.

The residents said the fish were washed ashore by the storm currents.

The increased intensity of the rains caused by the storm did not deter other residents who heard about the fish from going out in search of their own catch. Armed with crates, buckets and just about anything they could carry, adults and children were down by the waterfront collecting fish.

The residents lined the waterfront almost at Port Royal Street trying to find the spot that was giving the best catch. Some even said they would be heading to the Palisadoes strip where they heard the catch was better.