April 7, 2020 — Local commercial fishermen and seafood businesses are persevering through the novel coronavirus outbreak, but restrictions and safety measures are starting to take their toll.
N.C. Fisheries Association President and commercial fisherman Glenn Skinner said Wednesday retail markets are still doing business with fishermen and seafood dealers; however, he said these markets are “a small percentage” of the normal markets for locally harvested seafood, so retail markets alone are “not enough to keep fishermen on the water.”
“I don’t have an estimate of the economic impacts in terms of dollars and cents,” Mr. Skinner said, “but I can tell you that 80 percent of domestic seafood goes through food service businesses, primarily restaurants. With the entire country shutting down restaurants, there is very little market for most of what N.C. fishermen produce.”
Mr. Skinner said there is seafood available for harvest and “literally tons of product” that’s been frozen.