The Yabra Fish Market - it may have only been a wooden stand on the street corner but It's been a city mainstay for years.
But, not any more. Today the Belize City Council unveiled the new Yabra Fish Market building.
It will make room for 6 fishermen to have cleaner, safer spaces to sell their products. Jaleeza Roberts attended and filed this report:
The Fishermen in Yabra now have a building to sell their fish from. It is complete with deep freezers, fans, screen doors and cleaning station. This is a major upgrade from the former streetside vending that prevailed for decades. At the opening ceremony, the Mayor of Belize labeled it as a center of commerce:
Bernard Wagner, Belize City Mayor
"Development built with people lasts for generations. From those conversations, this market was born and its name was chosen. Today, this facility offers practical improvements that really matter. You have deep freezers so any unsold catch can be preserved and so the fishermen folks don't lose any income. We have put fans for a cooler environment. We have installed screen doors to reduce flies and improve sanitation. We also did a new cement fish cleaning station. We upgraded electrical and plumbing systems and we did a fresh paint and new signage that proudly marks this place as a center of commerce."
And one of the vendors, Joseph Brown expressed gratitude for a structure which offers protection from the elements of nature:
Joseph Brown, Fish Vendor
"We wish to appreciate this building and moreover take care of it. Bring some new fishing folks interested to buy fish and safety environment down this side. Shelter us from the sun, the heat the rain."
"It's a old philosophy speech this ill say it again, Live clean and make your dream come true, this is a good successful thing you brought in this community."
And who will look after its upkeep? The Mayor gave specifics:
Bernard Wagner, Belize City Mayor
"It's a combination of both the city but also the ownership of the fisherfolk here. We spoke to them and they have bought into the fact that you take ownership of this space, this space is for your economic development for your community economic development and so they have really buy into that and they have taken the ownership and we see it just by their engagement with the entire project."
"It will house 6 fishermen but again it's a community effort it's them coming together and saying these are the 6 folks that we want in this space but it is nothing in stone that they are not interchangeable, we are hoping that out of this we will provide that sort of propulsion to create more spaces like this."
And the use of the facility comes at a very affordable price:
Bernard Wagner, Belize City Mayor
"One dollar a day, one dollar a day can you believe that, I always joke with them when we are in the meetings that listen, this is an ownership. You take ownership of this, you have a jar or a pan just put in one dollar a day from your sales. By the time the end of the month reaches, you have that 30 dollars for the month."
For now fisherfolk can now boast of business improvement for their catch of the day. Jaleeza Roberts, 7 news.
The market is open now.
