Three months ago the fresh hauls brought ashore were purchased by distributors and shipped far away. But since COVID-19 upended the supply chains that once moved Eureka's catch far from its origin, fishermen are now selling dockside.
The fishermen connect with the local community through road signs and Facebook pages announcing fresh fish. During the increasingly popular sell-offs, the lines of masked customers often extend down the dock and into the parking lot, rain or shine.
Such direct sales are not unprecedented. In the summer, fishermen have sold albacore tuna and Dungeness crab from their boats for years. There's a floating crab shack, Jenna Lee's Seafood, that's been selling live crab during the season since 2003.
What's changed during the pandemic, though, is the variety and quantity of fish available, and the number of people showing up to buy it. And some say the direct connection has been a long time coming.
