DELBERT MAHON PERRY - FISHMONGER

Mr Mahon also known as Perry is a retail vendor also known as a Fishmonger at the Carenage Fishing Centre (CFC). Perry has been a part of the fishing industry for over 30 years, and based on his experience, the industry has changed drastically. The number of fish vendors since his entrance has increased. The price of fish also heightened from $2.00 - $2.50 then to $10.00 per pound presently. Fish like Jashwa and Herring that are usually given away at no cost, now have a price per pound of $10.00.

The development of CFC has changed the game for the vendors as the pre-existing structure was insufficient in size and had numerous safety issues. These complications

Mr. Mahon at the Carenage Fishing Centre cleaning fish

had a major impact on sales. Perry also has experience as a fisherman. His role then also included the sale of his produce simultaneously, but the lack of a proper market greatly influenced the fluctuation of his daily sales.

With the Carenage Fishing Centre (CFC) established, he mainly assists other vendors such as Mr Michael Seepaul “Mitch” and Mr Angelo Balwant. His main sales drivers are King Fish, Carite, Red Fish, Salmon and Cavalli. Delivery of fresh fish varies between 8:00 am to 9:00 am on mornings or 1:00pm to 2:00pm in the mid-afternoon period as it is dependent on the times the fishermen return to shore. Reminiscing with comparison to present times, Mr Mahon also stated that COVID-19 significantly affected his sales, with a declined impact of 80 percent in sales in comparison to life before COVID19. While being interviewed he gave a detailed account of his present-day sales status, where the sales count for the whole day was one from a local resident and considered as a very bad day to him. The first lockdown was significantly difficult on fish vendors as many of them could not come out to sell their seafood and also persons were not venturing out to buy fish. Now that the second set of restrictions have been implemented Mr Mahon stated that he has not fully returned to work and based on the response of his colleagues sales are still very slow. One of the measures that Mr Mahon mentioned was implemented with an aim of adjusting to the new normal is looking into the retail of fish online. To help adjust on the individual level Mr Mahon has been adhering to the guidelines provided by the Ministry such as the use of masks, social distancing, gloves, and frequent handwashing when gloves are not being used.