Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 84,397
Marty Offline OP
OP Offline
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 day, 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 or 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.

Channel 7


Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 84,397
Marty Offline OP
OP Offline

Easter is Christmas for Conch Shell Bay Fishermen

The national holidays on April sixth and ninth, are a testament to the dominance of Christianity in Belize. The mores that accompany Good Friday signify that fasting and eliminating red meat from the diet, are observed across the country. And that is the primary reason why the price of fish increases during Easter. News Five's Jose Sanchez went fishing with other city residents who used cash rather than a hook to get their snapper.

Jose Sanchez, Reporting

The blessings of Easter comes from scripture and from the sea. The fishermen at the Conch Shell Bay market are celebrating the bounty with an increased cost that comes with the high demand.

Krisna "Chris" Wright, Fisherman

"A lot of dedication; a lot of hard work mien. A lot of dedication; a lot of hard work. Sometimes we spend three four days out dah Caye di try make wa lee profit. Then like sometime like twenty-odd, thirty-odd miles go look fi fish."

Jose Sanchez

Krisna "Chris" Wright

"And for today's catch, what unu have ya so today; what all different type of fish?"

Krisna "Chris" Wright

"We have barrow, we have cabio, we have jack, we have some snapper, but it almost done now case they sell very fast."

Jose Sanchez

"Now some people complain about the price of fish at the time of Easter but this dah the time when unu make wa lee extra right?"

Krisna "Chris" Wright

"Of course this da the time we make wa extra; this da like wa Fisherman's Christmas."

Jose Sanchez

"What happen ina the next couple days from now?"

Krisna "Chris" Wright

"Well the prices gwen down because we wa have long holiday so the prices gwen down."

Jermaine Boran

Jermaine Boran, Fisherman

"This fish ya so dah like wa bill. we noh normally catch cabio so right now they di get kinda scarce."

Jose Sanchez

"What da this next one ova yah?"

Jermaine Boran

"This dah the barrow, the barracuda. The barrow and the cabia di go fi eight dollars a pound and the snapper dah eight too. We got some of them for eight and five."

Jose Sanchez

"How long ih tek unu fi get all ah denya fish?"

Jermaine Boran

"Three days."

So you feel like you deserve some of the profits for the lee extras because now that fish is in demand?"

Jermaine Boran

"Yeah."

After you weigh the fish, people like Pam then get paid to scale it.

Michael "Pam" Moya, Fish Cleaner

Michael "Pam" Moya

"I haven't been to Caye very lately. I am a fish mongrel on the land."

Jose Sanchez

"As a fish mongrel on the land, what do you do to earn your living out here?"

Michael "Pam" Moya

"Well I clean fish, I mop, sometimes I hire people, I do my stuff. Last year was better; this year is very flunk up."

Jose Sanchez

"You make more money on Easter weekend than any time of the year?"

Michael "Pam" Moya

"Well any time of the year but last year was better and this is very flank up. The people are buying the fish very cheap because I know the price is going to hike up to eight for nine dollars. So they come from before and freeze the stuff. I can't blame them; that's the business. My business is to clean and stay out of problem from police."

From as far as Placencia, consumers have travelled to buy from Conch Shell Bay

Wendy, Proprietor of Wendy's Creole Restaurant

Wendy

"We come all the way to Belize to get fish from Placencia can you imagine that."

Jose Sanchez

"Unu noh have fish da Placencia?"

Wendy

"No, no fish noh deh dah Placencia; the fisherman dehn gone. And the price ridiculous today."

Jose Sanchez

"Some people bought from before, but maybe next year you wah do that?"

Wendy

"Well I will. I will buy as much as I can for the business."

Jose Sanchez

"Miss Stephanie, what do you think about the price of fish?"

Miss Stephanie, Consumer

Miss Stephanie

"Well just now I got mad because they said the price of fish was seven dollars a pound, but I found somebody else that sold the fish for a reasonable price which si four dollars a pound that I can afford. So it is good so far."

Jose Sanchez

"But you really need the fish this time a year."

Miss Stephanie

"Yes because it is good. We need to give the lord a wonderful blessing for the Easter.

Reporting for News Five, Jose Sanchez.

Channel 5



Link Copied to Clipboard
March
S M T W T F S
1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31
Cayo Espanto
Click for Cayo Espanto, and have your own private island
More Links
Click for exciting and adventurous tours of Belize with Katie Valk!
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 293 guests, and 0 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Forum Statistics
Forums44
Topics79,199
Posts500,011
Members20,460
Most Online7,413
Nov 7th, 2021



AmbergrisCaye.com CayeCaulker.org HELP! Visitor Center Goods & Services San Pedro Town
BelizeSearch.com Message Board Lodging Diving Fishing Things to Do History
BelizeNews.com Maps Phonebook Belize Business Directory
BelizeCards.com Picture of the Day

The opinions and views expressed on this board are the subjective opinions of Ambergris Caye Message Board members
and not of the Ambergris Caye Message Board its affiliates, or its employees.

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5