April 6, 2020 — Local fishermen and women have faced rough seas and disappointing catches, but even they were unprepared for the shelter in place order which has collapsed seafood markets.
Though larger fisheries are somewhat better equipped to weather this storm, fishermen on small commercial fishing boats say they are scrambling to adjust their business models — from how they catch to where they sell — to stay afloat.
At a recent fisheries management meeting, officials with Oceana, an international nonprofit that advocates for sea life, reported talk about this being an unprecedented time “with significant challenges at every level,” noting that “We have lost global and local markets.”
This week local crab and salmon fisherman David Toriumi has been fileting black cod in his fish buyers’ warehouse. “I’m taking on any work that I can,” said Toriumi. Despite fishermen classifying as essential workers, the uncertainty of recent weeks leaves him fearful that he will not be able to pay his bills.