You can’t find fresher fish

Andrew Edwards

Not long after the sunrise, on just about any day of the week, people

mill around Newport Pier, waiting for a chance to have an early go at

the catch of the day.

“When I come here, I buy the little snappers to put in

bouillabaisse,� Jacques Dequillien, 52, said as he waited in line

Tuesday to buy some fish straight from the ocean.

“It can’t get any fresher,� he said.

Since 1891, the Dory Fleet Market has been a gathering place for

those with a taste for fresh fish -- except during World War II, when

the fleet was beached. These days, the market is open seven days a

week, weather permitting.

Customers can find bins full of freshly caught fish or wriggling

crabs and lobsters at the market. The morning’s selection varies day

to day, depending on which members of the fleet go out to sea,

whether the fish are biting and if the elements are cooperating.

The weekend’s rain prevented Dory fisherman Marcos Voyatzis from

hauling in a catch of fish on Sunday, but he still had a selection of

stone crabs and big spider crabs for sale.

“We couldn’t make it out fishing because of the storm,� he said.

Voyatzis, 34, grew up around the fleet. He started fishing with

his father, Stratos Voyatzis, when he was 9. But Stratos Voyatzis,

73, credits his son as being the teacher in the family.

“I didn’t teach Marcos; Marcos taught me,� Stratos Voyatzis said.

“He’s a born fisherman.�

Marcos Voyatzis’ wife, Nicoleta, is also part of the family

effort. She helps to sell his catch.

It is a family business for many.

When fisherman Jim Baker, 57, was selling his catch of red snapper

and black cod on Tuesday, his wife, Jan, was at his side helping him

clean the fish for each customer.

Jim Baker has been a member of the fleet for 25 years, and he said

his wife was the main reason he became a fisherman.

“I kind of married into it,� he said. “My wife’s family has been

here since ’59.�