The BP Gulf oil spill has left most small, local fishermen anxious and worried about their financial future. Luckily two Long Sachem area fish markets, Island Fish in Farmingville and Maranos Fish Market in Ronkonkoma, aren't feeling the hit directly.
Because the oil has not reached New York waters yet, these local water fishermen only have to deal with price inflation due to the market while their local inventory remains unaffected.
"They're raising prices because they can," said Jordan Brill, 32 of Farmingville who co-runs Island Fish, located on Horesblock Road in Farmingville, with his father. "It's supply and demand and they are taking advantage."
Find out what's happening in Sachemfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Brill said although he receives his shrimp from local fishermen in Thailand and Saudi Arabia, the market prices have gone up. Thailand alone has increased by 8 percent, Brill said. Island Fish has absorbed the cost for the past six months but recently has had to raise their price of shrimp by $2 a pound.
"We are still busy, still have the same amount of customers," said Brill, who feels the public is not too worried about purchasing seafood from a market miles away from the Gulf oil spill.
Find out what's happening in Sachemfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Maranos, on Hawkins Avenue in Ronkonkoma, is seeing the same increase in the market at Island Fish, however his customers may be a little warier.
"They joke around, 'Is there oil on that?' when they're asking for shrimp," said owner Mike Marano about his customer's reaction to the spill.
Marano receives his shrimp from Ecuador and has had to raise the price of his jumbo shrimp by a dollar per pound due to the inflation in the market. However, he said that he still has good foot traffic and steady customers.
Although the Gulf oil spill is still spewing out thousands of crude oil everyday, it is good to hear the effects have not rippled into the Sachem community.
