SOS to Atherly for help against illegal vendors

UNSANITARY conditions, rotting fish entrails and the battle to attract potential customers, are said to be at the heart of a developing feud between legitimate fish vendors at King’s Wharf fish market in San Fernando and illegal vendors who ply their trade outside of the market’s compound. Upset vendors, who also complained about the short opening hours of the market, said illegal vendors often engaged in a cat-and-mouse game with the two City Corporation police officers stationed at the marketplace. One vendor, who asked for anonymity, also alleged that corrupt activities including drug-pushing were part of the illegal trade taking place outside the market after closing hours. He said while the market clerk recently embarked on  a drive to “clean up” the outside premises by providing stalls for the illegal vendors within the market, the plan proved ineffective. The vendors moved back to their previous position — outside of the market.

“These vendors are rude and insulting to customers. If a customer do not go by them after they call, you in trouble. On evenings they does leave all the fish guts on the ground for the cleaner to hose down the next day,” a vendor complained. Legitimate vendors also questioned the “freshness” of fish sold by the illegal vendors. To add insult to injury, the illegal vendors sell their fish at a cheaper price than the legitimate vendors in an effort to attract customers. “Where is the Mayor? He has not visited the market since he took office. He always talking about development taking place in San Fernando, but nothing is being done,” a vendor said.

When Newsday visited the market over the weekend, only a handful of bare-backed vendors were seen busily cleaning fish outside of the market. Inside of the market, a number of stalls remained empty and unused. An official from the market clerk’s office confirmed that numerous attempts to move illegal vendors have proved futile. Like clothes vendors on High Street, the official said, a game of “hide and seek” often takes place between vendors and the police officers. “It is illegal to sell fish within a one mile radius of a fish market,” the official said, “but the enforcement of the law is often the problem.” Efforts to contact Mayor Ian Atherly proved futile.