Fishermen in the Bahamas said sales during the Easter holiday weekend proved to be profitable, but noted that bad weather and increased fees affected their business.
Easter weekend is often profitable for fishermen throughout the country given the Good Friday holiday when it is customary for Bahamians to indulge in traditional Bahamian dishes centred around fish.
Jeremiah Rolle, a local fisherman on Potters Cay, said he sold out, and called it a good year.
“Well, to me, right, it isn’t the sales, it’s all about Christ, and if you believe in God, God will touch your heart and make anything work,” he told The Tribune.
“Through the blessing of God, this one of the best years I had in a long time. So, on my behalf, I could brag and say God blessed me well this year.
“It ain’t nothing to do with the weather. It has to do with what you sell, it’s who you know and who knows you, whoever you know could support you and it’s the way you treat people. If you are a bad businessman, then you can’t expect people to spend with you.
“Based on what I brought out, I sold out. This is a way better year for me. I did way more better than I did last year.”
However, Gregory Brown, spokesman for the Montagu Association, said while sales were good, he is confident last year was more profitable. He said bad weather leading up to the holiday weekend contributed heavily to the decline in sales.
“Just give thanks for everything, it wasn’t that bad, but we appreciate it, we thought it could’ve been better, but it is what it is,” Mr Brown said at Montagu Beach.
Paul Maillis, the National Fisheries Association secretary, told The Tribune the demand for fish during the Easter holiday is no surprise, while noting a price increase given the uptick in the cost of operation.
He said: “I think that there may have been some challenges with supplies this year, however, with some complications… which meant a lot of boats were unable to get registered or get their commercial fishing licences renewed and so they paid those fees.
“A lot of people were waiting for the new revised fees which came into effect in early March to get all their business done so, some consumers may have experienced difficulties getting seafood products from their normal supplier, but other than that you know demand is up.
“I could imagine the price of the fish is higher with all around the fuel prices going up, the business licence going up, you know, the port fees have gone up, so it poses a challenge for a lot of large and small-scale fishermen alike so the consumer may experience higher fish prices, but in all the sales are where they are expected to be.”