Long Island seafood markets, rocked by the coronavirus pandemic, are slowly bouncing back from sharp drop-offs in restaurant orders and other broadsides, some by branching out.
The state’s order to pause nonessential businesses until April 29 had a quick and sharp impact on most fish dealers, who buy from local fishermen, importers and big fish markets such as the New Fulton Fish Market Coop at Hunts Point. It has backed up the supply chain, sent prices plummeting and idled some fishing boats. Local dealers and retailers have taken on new models to adapt.
At Gra Bar Fish in Copiague, the wholesale-centered operation was forced to cut its staff from 30 people to 16, but has found a new sales outlet that is helping to keep revenue coming in: home delivery.
“We go all over the Island,” said co-owner Bart Molin, a former chef who has also begun selling prepared food from the facility. Orders come over the phone with a $50 minimum, but even that’s occasionally overlooked for seniors who are advised to stay in to avoid virus exposure. Continue reading – https://www.newsday.com/long-island/politics/fish-covid-commercial-fishing-1.43725982