Fishermen, owner in dispute over use of market site

The owner of the Fish Market site on the George Town waterfront says the fishermen who recently returned to the location to resume selling fish there will have to move.

The fishermen were relocated by government to the Port Authority’s South Terminal in May, amid COVID-19 social-distancing, but they have since returned to the original site beside Cayman Cabana restaurant.

They say they have been selling their produce at the Red Spot Bay site on North Church Street for more than two decades, and have no intention of moving.

Chris Johnson, who owns the land where the fish market is located, said he purchased the property some 40 years ago as part of a joint-business venture. He disputes the fishermen’s claims that they have been occupying the land for several decades.

“Prior to [Hurricane] Ivan, one fisherman would sell fish on a very small scale,” said Johnson.

He said that, following several improvements he and his son Robert carried out on the property, a fisherman requested permission to sell at the site.

“Subsequently, one fisherman needed a Trade and Business Licence, and I agreed I would rent him the property for one year for no payment,” said Johnson. “No other fisherman requested me to do the same.”

He added, “Over the years, without my permission, other persons have used it, such as one lady selling trinkets to tourists. She was later removed for using foul language. Another person collected money from tourists by displaying his iguana.”

Now Johnson said the fishermen must go, as he believes their presence could lead to a lawsuit that he does not want any part of.

“Should they relocate back to Red Spot Bay, they are giving me a liability which I do not want, in the form of a lawsuit arising from the dangerous iron rods supporting the tents, or indeed any litigation arising from lawsuits regarding fish poisoning,” said Johnson.

He said a lack of public facilities, such as toilets and parking spaces, is another cause for concern.

One of the fishermen at the site, Robert Prendergast, told the Compass, “I’ve been selling fish down here for more than 24 years.”

“In fact, we started over there,” he said, pointing to a rusty, old iron rod sticking out of a weathered fragment of ironshore on the nearby water’s edge.

Referring to the move to the South Terminal, Prendergast said, “Well, they told us that we had to go down there because of the coronavirus, because they wanted to make sure we were doing the whole social-distancing thing. But none of that was necessary because we were already doing social distancing here at this market.”

The fishermen returned to Red Spot Bay, citing poor sales and an uncertain future at the South Terminal location.

“Nobody knew we were down there,” said Prendergast. “Plus, what’s going to happen when the tourists come back? They are just going to move us again, and this time God knows where to.”

Johnson denied rumours that he is attempting to convert the property into a public beach.

Instead, he confirmed that his intentions are to clear the property and install public benches, which will be donated by a service club.

“It doesn’t matter what they want to say,” Prendergast said, insisting that he and fellow fishermen had been at the site for decades, “and we aren’t moving”.