Fisherfolk drowning from low sales

The season of Lent is a period in which some persons substitute meats for seafood.

Therefore, it has always been a good season for fisherfolk in Old Harbour Bay, St Catherine. But COVID-19 has changed the fortunes of many. A visit to one of the hubs of Jamaica's fishing industry was anything other than abuzz with business.

"Bwoy, the fish business get a serious hit from the COVID-19 business, nutten naw gwaan bredda. Bwoy, mi a 46 years old and a sell from mi a 15. A di first di business ever so bad," Orville Campbell said. The seasoned fish vendor removed the cover from his cart to display a wide variety of fish that by now, would've been sold.

"It's not easy, but is what I know, so we just a barely survive. Right now a $600 a pound, as it naw sell. So when we get a sale we just glad," Campbell said. His views were echoed by Phillipa Campbell, who manned an igloo laden with ice and fish.

"Good day, can I sell you some very nice snapper? We need the sale, as business is very bad. The pandemic mash up the business, so we are even more competitive in the little business that exist," she said. Meanwhile, some persons said that there are fewer fish fries and cookouts being held, and this has resulted in loss of earnings for even those who clean the fish at the market.

" A from mi a 16 years old my parents left mi and mi a scrape fish fi survive, but right now I have reduced the money from $60 to $50 for each pound of fish we scale," Sharon Whyte said.

Her views was echoed by Shantel Williams, who started her work last week.

"I am just here trying a little thing. It hard but mi a try, although COVID-19 a beat we bad," Williams said. Fisherfolk also said that in addition to COVID-19, their catch is also affected by increasingly rough seas, so less fish are being trapped.