Operations at the Kingstown fish market are returning to normal after a water crisis was successfully resolved this morning, Thursday, June 25. For the previous three days, fisherfolk had been pleading with authorities to intervene after recurrent bursting of the main water line left the facility completely without running water.
During the three-day shortage, the daily routine of the market was severely disrupted. With the taps completely dry, fishermen were forced to use saltwater to wash and clean their freshly caught fish just to keep their businesses running.
This lack of fresh water also triggered a compounding crisis: a severe shortage of ice. Because the market’s ice production relies entirely on the facility’s water supply, vendors were left with empty ice chests.
In a desperate bid to save their catch from spoiling, fishermen purchased solid ice blocks out of pocket, but found them nowhere near as effective at preserving the fish as the market’s traditional shaved ice. This forced the vendors to rush to get the fish off their hands as quickly as possible before it went bad.
Attempts to find alternative sources of ice over the last three days were also unsuccessful. Several fishermen tried to secure ice from the nearby Calliaqua fish market, but were turned away because the Calliaqua facility required its full supply to stock its own local catch.
With the water main finally repaired this morning, the fisherfolk of Kingstown can now transition away from saltwater washing and resume using fresh water and proper shaved ice to sustain their daily trade.