‘Fish a wear clothes’ - Vendors say fuel prices driving up cost of Easter delicacy

While the strain on motorists and electricity users is a known consequence, hikes in fuel prices have also been diminishing fish sales.

During the traditional Jamaican Easter season, locals flock to fishing villages like Greenwich Town nd Old Harbour Bay for the aquatic delicacies, with a special emphasis on sprat.

This year, however, vendors say sales are dismal, even more than what they experienced during the heights of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"This year fish a wear clothes," exclaimed Dominique Gordon, a vendor on Marcus Garvey Drive in St Andrew. "This year fish dear, dear, dear." The main reason, according to fish vendor Novelette Mighty, is the rise in gas prices, as boat owners and fishermen have to dig deeper for gas when they venture out.

"Price of fish is so high and we can't blame the boat owners and the fishermen because gas get so expensive, so I don't want to bash the people dem who selling the fish but also talk about the toll that it give to us," she said. "You can get a pound of fish for $1,200 and [last] December you used to get a pound of fish for $900 or $1,000 and within three months fish is selling for $1,200, $1,300 and today is the eve [of Good Friday] and I know by Wednesday it is going to go to $1,500 because the fisherman is selling the fish very expensive."

"Fi the past 20 years, this a one a di worst Easter to me. All when the corona, corona start bout 2019- 2020 when the country was shut down, and sales was twice as much as now. I doah know what is the problem and as a fish vendor being in it so long, I think what really happen is the price of fish," she added.

Mighty says in Easters of old, the fishing village along Marcus Garvey Drive would be packed with customers scrabbling for the limited produce.

"Normally dung here have cars and cars. Cars behind cars, no walking space, no nothing. Is the price of the petrol really set back people from coming in for the fish," she said.

But Diane Taylor, who has been selling sprat for more than 11 years, told THE WEEKEND STAR that she has seen an incremental increase in her sales when compared to last year.

"Being tomorrow is Holy Thursday normally the sale would go faster than this. Comparing to last year, it's a bit slow, but it's a bit better. But not much better," she said. Taylor, who last year sold more than 400 pounds of fish, said that she has sold under 100 pounds thus far. Meanwhile, vendor Toni Taylor expressed optimism for sales.

"Di sales did kinda more faster. They [sprat] selling still this year, enuh, but you affi just give God thanks because you don't know, chu di country probably just open up back, most people probably still doah deh back pon dem feet di right way yet. But you affix just give God thanks. I hope tomorrow will be a better day," she said.