Fishing has been a Caribbean pastime both for pleasure and as an easily available food source. St. Maarten fisherman Bernard Halley has been catching fish bringing it in for sale for many years as other generations have done. Nowadays, he leaves the fishing to his fishing crew, but makes sure to meet with buyers.
His catch was a hot commodity this week when residents craving fresh-from-the-sea delicacies flocked to his stall in Simpson Bay Fish Market. Bernard is one of the Dutch side’s fishermen who are happy to be able to get back to business after the latest national decree on the lockdown specifically allowed fishermen and farmers to travel to and from their “places of work” without an issue. Queuing for fresh snapper was Bernard’s St. Joseph School schoolmate Michel Hodge, who carted away some four kilos of snappers to bake and fry as comfort food as the lockdown with some movement continues into next month. Sharing his fish-buying adventure, Hodge said, “Everyone has a mask on, except the snappers, of course!” He also shared that back in schooldays, he and Bernard also had as classmates Deputy Island Governor Millicent de Weever, the late veteran politician Vance James Jr. and the late historian Louis Duzonson.
