Still fresh but Sharjah fish market losing old flavour

Sharjah: Gone are the days when fishing boats used to dock at the Sharjah Fish Market and people could buy the live catch even before it was brought on the stalls.

But more than two years ago Sharjah reclaimed land in front of the Market and today it looks like a car park. Much of the old market's unique flavour has disappeared.

There is a rumour going around the vendors that new shops will be set up on the reclaimed land. Officials at the Directorate of Public Works however, refuse to disclose plans, if any, for the upcoming project.

The Fish Market was built by Sharjah Municipality in 1980 and currently has 44 shops, in addition to nine counters for cleaning the fish. Over the years the Fish Market could no longer accommodate the increasing number of customers, which prompted the Municipality to increase the parking spaces in the area.

Five years ago, there were no cleaning and it was a common sight to see customers getting their fish cleaned by men squatting on the floor. But the cost to clean and cut the fish is still quite low, at Dh1.50 per kilo.

Abdul Reza Hassan, an Emirati fisherman, 50, has been working in the neighbourhood of Al Merraija as long as he can remember. As a child, Hassan used to be a porter not only at the Fish Market but also at the Fruit and Vegetable Market.

"There would hardly be 100 customers a day, but now there are a number of people who want all kinds of fish. I am also selling crabs now and 30 years ago nobody wanted crabs," he says.

"People did not like Hammour before, but now that that are so many different nationalities living in Sharjah, a large number of people ask for this fish. We run out of it fast," he says.

Hassan remembers selling the She'eri fish at Dh2 per kilogram. This is the fish most customers want. Almost 30 years later, it is now sold for around Dh30 per kilogram.

"I wake up early everyday and get my first catch by 5am. It gets a lot busier on the weekends. Business is still good, even though people like to go to supermarkets to buy their fish. Many still prefer to buy it at the fish market, because it is guaranteed that what they are buying is fresh," says Hassan.

Customers continue to visit the fish market especially during the weekends, when they have the free time on their hands to afford getting stuck in traffic. Residents said that they missed the older fish market as the new renovations made it lose its charm.

"Going to the fish market used to be a wonderful experience because it was so different from everything else. My children loved crowding around the fishing boats and see all the live fresh sprawled across the floor. There was barely enough place to walk because it was full of people buying and selling," says Carmelita Amansec, who has been living in Sharjah for almost 15 years.

The Fish Market is open everyday from 6am to 1pm and 4pm to 10pm, and on Friday from 4pm to 10pm.