In the beginning of "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings," why is Pelayo throwing crabs into the sea?

As the story
opens, the fishing village in which the characters live has been "sad" for three days,
with cold, dark temperatures and constant rain. Because of a crab's life cycle, some species
spend many months hiding in foliage above the waterline, waiting for rain. They live in burrows
in the woods, trying to keep from drying out, and when the rain comes they leave their burrows
and mate, going down to the waterline to lay their eggs. Pelayo's house must be in the middle of
the crab's migration patterns, and since they are poor the crabs are able to get inside the
house, posing a threat to their health.

On the third day
of rain they had killed so many crabs inside the house that Pelayo had to cross his drenched
courtyard and throw them into the sea, because the newborn child had a temperature all night and
they thought it was due to the stench.
(M¡rquez, ","
salvoblue.homestead.com)

Too many dead crabs means
decomposition and rot, which Pelayo blames on the ill-health of the baby. He can't simply kill
and cook the crabs, because there are too many; instead, he takes them down to the ocean and
throws them in. Meanwhile, the crabs are taking advantage of the rainy season to mate and lay
eggs, and this continues until the rains stop. Pelayo's trips to the ocean are what spur his
discovery of the angel, and later he is able to buy a better house for his family, so they can
be safe from the crab migration.