She appears to be somewhere in her mid-thirties and prefers to be known simply as Debbie. That’s what everyone calls her. She was born into a family of fish vendors and as an adult that has been her way of making a living. Her parents bought and sold fish at both the Rosignol and New Amsterdam markets and, she says, “fish is all I know.”
Ten years ago she married Ravi, himself a fisherman. Seven months ago they acquired their own fishing boat. Prior to that he worked for another boat owner; that meant spending every night on the water. Debbie found it hard to handle. The absence of her husband and the menace of pirates gave her sleepless nights. It was at her insistence that he acquired his own fishing boat.
These days Ravi only goes fishing occasionally. His vessel is manned by a captain and a two-man crew. He spends his days on the wharf managing the catch for another fisherman who owns five boats.
Debbie divides her time between her three children aged nine, seven and two and serving the family business as a wholesale fish vendor. On weekdays, after dispatching her children to school, she makes her way to the wharf to await the arrival of the boat. Once it arrives the boat must be off-loaded and fish sorted and stored. If the boat arrives late enough there is no need for storage. The vendors are there waiting to buy the fish and take it away. On Wednesday Debbie was at the wharf as usual with her two year-old in tow. She was overlooking the weighing and delivery of fish to the vendors by the boat crew. The catch comprised mostly catfish, cuirass and gilbaka. A few eel had been caught too. Those, she said, would be used to bait the lines for the next fishing trip.
On Wednesday, cuirass was being sold to the vendors at $60 per pound and catfish at $65 per pound. Gilbaka, a much-prized fish on both the local and export markets, was being sold at $800 per pound. Sometimes, Debbie says, prices are higher. It was just after noon and most of the vendors had not yet arrived. Most of the catch was being stored.
Debbie is a member of the Rosignol Fishermen’s Cooperative. She says that the quality of service being offered by the cooperative could be better. In the past the fishermen could look to the cooperative for support in the acquisition of fuel and engines for their boats. Debbie says that these days the fishermen do most of their business on their own. Membership of the cooperative attracts a fee as does the use of the wharf.
Debbie is upbeat about her own business. It is a significant improvement on her childhood days as the daughter of fish vendors. She says that eventually the family will acquire additional boats and the venture will grow. Apart from the income they receive from their own boat her husband receives an income from the boat owner who employs him.
There are tough times, she says; periods when the catch is poor, when there is less fish to sell and when there is less money to go around. The vagaries of that kind of business teach the principle of setting aside for a rainy day.
After the catch is sold there are bills to be paid. The cost of fuel must be deducted and the men who man the boat at sea are paid based on the catch. Sometimes there are maintenance costs. What is left are the profits that go to Debbie and her family. She says that there are good days and bad days and that you learn to count your blessings.
