Price of fish rise as Easter draws closer

Catholics normally don’t eat meat on Fridays during the Lenten season, and on Good Friday that ritual is mostly observed. Fishermen have long practiced that trend and manage to sell most of their catch on the days leading up to Good Friday. But will the price of fish remain the same despite the rising demand? On Wednesday, News Five’s Jose Sanchez stopped by the Vernon Street Fish market to see what the fishermen were selling and if the customers were hooked by the price.

Seller #1
“Alright, snappa six dollas, five dallas, four dallas, two dallas, five dallas. All price, anyone you want.”

Seller #2
“I catch it back by Moho Caye. You know back by Jane Usher boulevard deh. Right dah side I ketch it deh.”

Jose Sanchez
“What kind of line would you use? Was it easy to get in your boat?”

Seller
“Well, ih give wah lee trouble you know. I fight ah and bring ah in.”

Jose Sanchez
“ How will you sell it? How much per pound?”

Seller 2
“ We di fillet it and try sell it. Well nine dollars fi di fillet.”

Jose Sanchez
“By Friday prices will go up?”

Seller #2
“No Friday, Thursday”

Seller #3
“Well da wah very enticing fish everybody like it. Right. Yoh could sell it eena many ways. Dah no me puncture it. yoh could sell it eena many ways.”

Jose Sanchez
“Do you sell it by the pound? How much do you sell it for?”

Seller #3
“Well di pound got no standard price once ih done clean. Yoh could sell it fi anything”

Jose Sanchez
“Tell me something by Friday, will prices go up because it will be the last day?”

Seller #3
“Price done deh up from now and ih wah stay up til’ Friday. After Friday things wah deh off.”

Jose Sanchez
“So your official job, you clean and chop up? What you do?”

Seller #3
“I do everything. I buy, I sell, I scrape and I go ketch too sometime.”

Seller #4
“Well, I catch it in the deep water. And I catch it on grunts. Right now we are having grunts right now. But if you want something else, whatever you want. We have shark too. whatever they want I can get it for them. My price is eight dollars right now, and I’ll probably go higher tomorrow. If you don’t believe me, come and see.”

Jose Sanchez
“Some people say the prices are already going up today. It’s all because of the Easter rush?”

Seller #4
Well, it’s always been like that. Easter is the best time to get your fish, any kind of fish you want in Easter. It’s alright if you come early you can get it much cheaper for another price. But fi Easter it’s eight, nine or ten.”

Customer #1
“We normally get the fish for the good Friday, not so much for the Easter. Not really for Easter, but it’s for Good Friday.”

Jose Sanchez
“You get it in advance?”

Customer #1
“Not yet, I’m hoping to get a barracuda or some hogfish; that’s my favourite, mackerel maybe but that would be my third selection.”

Jose Sanchez
“So you’re trying to beat the rush by coming out today?”

Customer #1
“Precisely. When tomorrow comes the crowd will be here so much the prices go up you find it makes it more difficult.”

Jose Sanchez
“What are you buying?”

Customer #2
“I am buying fish fillet.”

Jose Sanchez
“Jewfish?”

Customer #2
“Yeah, jewfish.”

Jose Sanchez
“Your family likes it? how big your family?”

Customer #2
“Family dah only one, two… five.”

Jose Sanchez
“You normally come out here and buy?”

Customer #2
“No, not so often. I think it’s probably the first time I come out.”

Jose Sanchez
“But you like the fish you get out here?”

Customer #2
“Yeah.”

Customer #3
“I come buy some fish fi di Easter as ah pass along. Dah wah every year basics noh matter weh price or size dah just fi everybody.”

Jose Sanchez
“What particular type of fish you buy?”

Customer #3
“Well, ih noh matter; just whatever. I love my fish.”

Customer #4
“I di buy some snapper and I di buy some rock fish. Dat dah weh I wah eat fi Easter. But I eat fish everyday so ih noh really matter me but I want dat fi Friday.”

Jose Sanchez
“Prices are going up already right?”

Customer #4
“Well, you know how we do it yah but if yoh like di fish and yoh want di food pay di price and noh worry yohself. Always eat di fish. Dah di best food, eat di fish. I noh worry. I boil ah, bake ah, dat’s how I do ah anytime.”