Jamaicans go for cheaper bite - Lent on a budget as wallet dictates fish choices

Ten years ago, then-Opposition Leader Andrew Holness shocked fellow parliamentarians when he told them that fish back had become the best option for marginalised Jamaicans who could no longer afford traditional protein sources.

"People are no longer talking about oxtail and curried goat. As a matter of fact, chicken back is now priced way beyond the means of many Jamaicans. What many are forced to buy these days is fish back," he told the House.

Fast forward to 2025, and rising food costs continue to reshape Jamaican diets. And as the Lenten season begins, fishmongers are preparing for the annual sales surge, while many consumers remain guided by their budgets rather than preference.

At the Forum fishing village in Portmore, St Catherine, vendor Parri has observed a clear shift in what customers are buying. Increasingly, shoppers are choosing freshwater fish -- especially tilapia -- because it is more affordable.

"It's a little cheaper," Parri explained. A pound of fresh water fish goes for $800, while wild-caught fish like parrot and snapper sells for $1,500.

He also highlighted the challenges of preparing wild-caught fish. "With these fish, it have a style it will skin up pon you in the pot, and yuh think it old, but that's the way they are," he said. "Fresh water fish naah do that, so it's easier fi dem look bout," Parri said

The fish vendor noted that sales naturally climb during Lent, peaking around Easter. "It a fester up yah now. A soon it season. Usually going down to Easter time it pick up back," he said.

Among his customers was Natalie, who was shopping for fish for her mother's birthday. She said fish is a year-round staple in her household, though opinions on types vary.

"We eat fish throughout the year, not just at Easter. I like tilapia, but my mother say it taste like dirt, so she don't like it," Natalie said. She explained that preparation makes all the difference.

"It's about how you season it. Just like regular fish--you let the seasoning soak in, then I put it in my air fryer."

Still, she acknowledged that affordability drives many choices. "People are choosing freshwater fish because it's cheaper, not necessarily for the nutritional value. At $500 per pound compared to $1,500 per pound, that's three pounds that could feed your family," she said.

Across Kingston at the Red Rose Fish Market in Cross Roads, similar sentiments echoed. One customer buying sprat said the cost of wild caugh fish often keeps them from buying other sea fish except during Easter.

"A dem yah mi eat and love," she said. "Mi nuh have it fi buy the whole fish, maybe at Easter," the shopper said. "Otherwise, mi buy slice fish."

Vendor Rose, tending to a bucket of sprat priced at $350 per pound, explained why consumers often turn to her.

"I sell all fish and people prefer buy these fish, the sprats, because the other fish dem now, them say it too expensive," Rose said.

She added that some shoppers seek out seafood depots, where prices are lower for the protein source.

"Dem a guh a the depot weh dem can get it cheaper, so dem nuh really buy from out here. People a go the cheaper way now," she said.

Rose defended her pricing, noting the costs involved in buying, cleaning, and preserving fish. Despite low sales most of the year, she expects demand to surge as Easter approaches, even as the pockets of ordinary Jamaicans dictate the menu.