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Fisherman's Christmas (At Easter?)
posted (April 5, 2012)
The Easter Season is the Fisherman's Christmas, where the fish are plentiful, demand is high, and the pay is good. And the fishes were most abundant today at the Conch Shell Bay Fish Market as everyone rushed to get their catch for tomorrow.

Our intern Robin Schaffer stopped in amidst the bartering and scaling to find out from the Fishers the types and prices of the fishes that they were selling.

Robin Schaffer
"What kinds of fishes are most sought after today? What's everybody trying to buy today?"

Lennox Lino - Fisherman
"Only fish."

Robin Schaffer
"What's the type of fish - the species of fish that everybody mostly going for?"

Lennox Lino
"It's most snappers, jacks, and barrows. We have for $5, $6, and $7. Prices went up for the couple of days, and afterwards prices will go back down at least a dollar off the price."

Robin Schaffer
"So how much is it usually?"

Lennox Lino
"Usually, it's like $5 or $6 for a pound."

Barret Aldana - Fisherman
"Last year, or the year before, we sold for like $10, $9, and $8. This year, we are down to $7 or $8 a pound. Once it's not Easter, fish sells for $5 or $6 a pound. It depends on the size of the snapper that you are buying. Everything sells for a certain level because gas is no joke."

Edwin Bowen - Fisherman
"Well, everybody wants snapper and stone bass. Stone bass comes from Manatee; it is one of the nicest fish. Right now, it's $4 a pound for the stone bass, $6 a pound for the snapper."

Robin Schaffer
"And is that the usual price?"

Edwin Bowen
"Well, you have people who have all different kinds of prices, and I have my own special prices."

Elloy Hemmans - Fisherman
"It's Good Friday and people most prefer to eat fish on Good Friday, so a lot of people come out to buy the fishes today."

Robin Schaffer
"What kind of fish are you selling today?"

Elloy Hemmans
"Mostly snappers, but all the fish I've been selling are barracudas, snappers, and we have the rock fish. All of them are going, but people mostly ask for the snapper because that is the favorite fish. They prefer the red snapper or the yellowtail snapper."

Eileen Murillo - Buyer
"I wanted some nice snapper because that's my food on Good Friday, rice and beans, fried fish, and hot cross bun."

Robin Schaffer
"The traditional Good friday food?"

Eileen Murillo
"Yes, up to now, it's not too expensive for me because sometimes in the evening, you get it just like this for $5, but this one is just $7 right now. I need it so I bought it."

Robin Schaffer
"And if you weren't able to get fish today, what would you have done?"

Eileen Murrillo
"Well, I would have cooked nothing else. I would have just eaten bun and cool off for the day until tomorrow."

Robin Schaffer
"Why are you buying fish today?"

Rosalie Ogaldez - Buyer
"Because it's a Garifuna tradition, and this is Easter. I paid $6 a pound."

Robin Schaffer
"And do you think that's fair?"

Rosalie Ogaldez
"Yes."

Robin Schaffer
"If you didn't get fish today, what would you have done?"

Rosalie Ogaldez
"I don't know what I would have done, but I would have gotten fish somewhere."

The price per pound was between six and eight dollars - which is slightly higher than usual - but it seemed, not quite enough to deter anyone from their Good Friday Fish Feast.

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