Fish rush for Easter weekend

Despite drastically shortened opening hours and an economy likely to be crippled by a global pandemic, fish vendors, particularly at the Bridgetown market, are reporting their best Easter sales in years.

But the massive demand and reduced hours meant that scores of Barbadians went home empty-handed and were forced to leave The City without the delicacies most associated with this time of the year.

Dolphin at $10/lb, Blue Marlin at $9/lb and Flying Fish at $20/10 were top picks even though some customers complained of high prices.

“This is the first time I ever sold so much fish. Since this COVID-19 under these reduced hours, we are making more money than we used to make while working from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The demand is now greater but I am also getting a lot of rest,” one fish vendor told Barbados TODAY.

“I couldn’t believe it. It seems like people saved all of their money for food and fish because they were coming here every day. There were long lines and we had to hand fish over the wall and we were selling outside in coolers. We had very little time to sell but people came out and made sure that they honoured their tradition, but many people still left empty-handed,” the vendor added.

Popular vendor Sharon Bellamy reported a similar sales experience but argued that the operating hours from 8 a.m. to midday were simply too short given the annual Easter rush.

“They should have extended the time until 3 p.m at least for Wednesday and Thursday,” she reported. The veteran vendor argued that although the market opened at eight, vendors were often only able to enter at nine and would first have to collect their fish from boat owners before attending to the requests of their customers.

Some customers spent as much as two hours braving the Thursday morning heat in their bid to get fish.

“They are only letting in two or three people at a time, so it is wrong for them to shut off the place like this because they know that people are coming for fish because tomorrow is Good Friday. Easter is coming up, nowhere is going to be open and they still decided to close at exactly 12 instead of providing a bit of an extension,” said a man who only identified himself as John, while leaving the market with a few stakes of bill fish.

But well after midday, vendors were still attempting to make last-minute sales to eager customers over the market’s fencing as police officers and security guards started closing down operations.

Although Kirk Brathwaite was able to secure his fish, he expressed concern about dozens of elderly people in long lines at the nearby post office desirous of purchasing fish after cashing their pension cheques.

“The people got their money and when they get here, they can’t get a fish. Old people need something to eat as well. They could have given at least another hour to allow people to get what they need,” Brathwaite suggested.

“You’ve kept the post offices open so the people can get their money, but what will they spend it on?” he asked.
kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb