Kevin Judah rummaged through old pictures Saturday of his grandfather and father. From their small shop perched along the Indian River, the men were constantly working to bring the best fish – from mullet to sheepshead – to customers.
Kevin Judah’s grandfather and father both started Judah and Sons Fish Market in Sebastian 70 years ago. Saturday, Kevin Judah, co-owner of the business, and other fishermen were bringing in one of their last catches of mullet. Come Monday, the doors to the market will close for good.
“We knew this day was coming. Change is inevitable,” said Kevin Judah, 58, of Sebastian. “It’s painful for us and customers who have been coming here for generations. Some of them got teary-eyed and told us their grandparents used to bring them here when they were little.”
The small fish market, located along the Indian River Lagoon, has had extensive damage overtime to its seawall from storms and hurricanes. The 150-foot-long concrete seawall, which rose up about seven feet from the river, is being destroyed because of constant pounding from waves.
To replace the seawall, along with other much needed renovations inside the historic business, would cost more than $200,000, Judah said. The family does not have funds for renovations, Judah said.
“The foundation is cracked. It has become a major liability,” Judah said. “Every time we get a heavy downpour, our parking lot gets flooded. If someone gets hurt on the property, we’re done.”
To make matters worse, Judah and two of his adult children live in a home next door that is part of the business property. Judah said he agreed to sell the entire property, which includes the small white house.
Eventually, the Judah’s will have to find another place to live.
“We finished signing for the property (Friday). It could be three to four weeks before the closing date,” Judah said. “I won’t be able to afford a house in Sebastian.”
Judah said he thinks the property might be leveled and re-developed.
It’s unclear what lies in the future for the Judah family. A passion for fishing is what connects the relatives and their family-owned business.
“It’s all we’ve done,” Judah said. “It has been handed down.”
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Judah and Sons is known for selling mullet, a ray-finned fish. Customer Anna White waited patiently with her 8-year-old granddaughter, Jada, as the fishermen weighed a batch of mullet Saturday, cleaned and cut the fish before giving it to her.
“I’m going to miss this place very much,” said White, 52, of Sebastian. “I’m going to miss the atmosphere and seeing them work. Sometimes I come just to hear them talk smack. They’re a really nice family.”
It’s been a tough week for the Sebastian fishing community, as ‘Crab E Bill’ Tiedge, founder of Crab E Bill’s Seafood just down the road from Judah and Son, died last Sunday.
The fish market, which has a sign in big green and black letters, is also down the street from other seafood businesses, including Capt. Hiram’s, Mulligans and Crab Stop.
Fish market spans 3 generations
Judah said his grandparents, Bascomb and Bessie Judah, started off as sharecroppers in the Florida Panhandle before moving to Sebastian in 1941. The grandparents fished for a living for other employers before Judah’s father, James Coolidge Judah, convinced the couple to own a business.
The world was changing then. War was raging in Europe and the Pacific, while Florida, with its vast marshlands and winding rivers, seemed like a new frontier.
“There weren’t too many families here then,” Judah said.
The family took a chance and bought a small strip of land in 1948, located off North Indian River Drive, and transformed it into a fish market the following year, Judah said.
Judah recalled how he and his four siblings would go fishing with their father, hauling in fresh, bountiful catches throughout the year. Faith was also important.
Judah said his family was raised in the church and are strong believers in God.
Judah said his father cared about customers getting their money’s worth for their purchases. Some bought the fish for simple meals, family cookouts or church fish fries.
Judah remembered his father as a man of integrity with morals.
“He was easygoing, but stern,” Judah said. “It took a lot to upset him. We never heard him say anything profane. He didn’t smoke or drink.”
Future of commercial fishing
Judah believes that as a whole, commercial fishing is a thing of the past for fishermen like him.
While some praised the state’s 1995 ban on entanglement nets, including large gill nets, Judah said the ban put a hurt on the fishing business. Judah said at least 25 fishermen at the market quit after the ban.
The net ban was one of the most controversial laws to impact the fishing industry.
“It wiped out all commercial gillnetting and two thirds of our fishermen,” Judah said. “They had to learn how to throw a cast net or use a hook and line to fish.”
A gill net traps fish by snagging on their gill covers. Other fishing techniques include hand-gathering, spearfishing, angling and trapping.
Judah said sports and recreational fishing is producing a lot more revenue than commercial fishing. The co-owner said the Sebastian Inlet is one of the top fishing spots in Florida.
Family business comes to an end
Lifetime customers for what was once a thriving seaside market will have to find a new place to buy their fresh fish. Judah said it was his father’s dream to just be on the water.
“We tried to keep it alive,” Judah said.
Judah said he recently received a call from a customer, a Gifford woman, who heard of the market’s upcoming closing. The woman told Judah that churches in the community were praying for the shop.
“God will provide a way,” Judah said. “When one door closes, another will open.”
Photos by Nick Samuel and provided by Judah family
