…and Your Fish for Easter
For many Belizeans, Easter time is synonymous with many things; beach, cross-buns and fish. Every year around this time, the price is usually jacked up but buyers are still willing to pay top dollar to get their fish. This year the price per pound for most fish is ten dollars. And while buyers felt it was a little pricey, they were out from early at the Conch Shell Bay market to secure their fish. When we stopped in this morning, there were only a handful of vendors and not a lot of fish. A sprinkling of buyers gathered to get their fish – but from what we heard from most on the ground – fish were not plenty. The fishermen told us that boats that came in yesterday had less than their usual pounds of fish around this time of the year. But fishers were still hopeful that the late afternoon sale will attract a throng of buyers looking for fish for their Good Friday meal. Here’s what we found out about this year’s sale for Easter.
Hetta Marin
Hetta Marin, Seller
“Obvious, fish slow today. Very little fish. As per normal, every Easter, people di buy. Ten dollars a pound fi the fish. Yes fi snapper, grouper, whatever. And the smaller ones deh cheaper. Every Easter dah the same price. Yuhsi because deh man deh go out and bring lee bit fish – deh spend lotta money and bring lee bit. It is hard fi ketch fish round deh time ya. It is hard. Dah he weather – hard breeze.”
Andrea Polanco
“So, what people di buy today? What deh di ask fah?”
Hetta Marin
“Anything name fish, I guess [laughs]. As long as dah fish.”
Andrea Polanco
“How you feel about today – yuh think yuh wah sell out all weh yuh have?”
Hetta Marin
“Yeah. Yeah. Dah only lee bit deh, suh all gwein.”
Buyer #1
“We di look fi red snapperbut we nuh want some small one, we want some big fish because the small one deh like juck we dah wi throat.”
Andrea Polanco
“Si yuh nuh di si no big one today?”
Buyer #1
“No some lotta small one I di si right now. Maybe cause dah early in the morning. Maybe later on in the afternoon I haffi is weh ah could ketch.”
Andrea Polanco
“Weh plans yuh have fi the fish fi dis Easter? Weh yuh wah do with it?”
Buyer #1
“Mek mi hudut and fry some with mi bun, yeah [laughs]”
Buyer # 2
“Well, for me it is not a problem because I always have someone that I purchase fish from. So, when it is time for me to get my snappers.”
Andrea Polanco
“Any plans fi the snappers – what will you do with it for the Easter?”
Buyer # 2
“You know it is the regular tradition for the Easter. We do fry fish and bun or sere. So that is what we are going to be doing for the Easter.”
Andrea Polanco
“What do you think of the prices? I heard it is going for about ten dollars a pound?”
Buyer # 2
“Yeah it is ridiculous but again these guys work hard and have to pay taxes and suh. So, I will afford.”
Andrea Polanco
“How many pounds you picking up today?”
Buyer # 2
“Only five.”
Andrea Polanco
“Only five?”
Buyer # 2
“Only five. [Laughs]”
Andrea Polanco
“Miss Mich, how business di look dis mawning?”
Michelle
Michelle, Fish Cleaner
“Not too bad, love. It is alright.”
Andrea Polanco
“We heard some people complaining that they are not seeing the fish on the market; you heard any of these complaints?”
Michelle
“Dah true, fish nuh come like first. Climate change. It nuh come like first.”
