POINT 11 | La ligne bleue | #HamiltonVilleAccueillante 
LIGHTHOUSE FISH MARKET| 213 James St N, Hamilton
A reminder of the golden age of the Portuguese community.

"Another symbol of the golden age of the Portuguese community, the fish markets that have stood the test of time and continue to enliven the public space."

 The front of the Lighthouse Fish Market is as authentic as its neighbour, the International Fish Market. The colourful merchandise of both shops spills out onto the sidewalks. You can hear the customers speak Portuguese.

Frank Miranda, who immigrated from Portugal as a teenager, purchased the building in 1985. The fish market has been serving the local community for 36 years and is now managed by his daughter Nelcy Miranda.

On the front of the market next door (which has existed at 205 James St N since 1990), it says that Mr. Amaral is the owner. This is Marie Amaral, another woman of Portuguese lineage!

BEHIND THE SCENE : 

Times are changing

For the moment, the Facebook page of the Lighthouse Fish Market is still very active. However, no one knows until when this emblem of the Portuguese golden age will be there to serve its customers. Nelci Miranda's late father asked her to eventually sell the business to provide for his widow.

Nelci has been working there since she was a little girl. As the clientele has evolved, so has the market's offering. Presumably, Portuguese and Italian Catholics in Hamilton in the 1980s would make "skinny Friday," eating fish, a sacrifice to commemorate the death of Christ on Good Friday.

Nowadays, the market sells fish and frozen food at the back of the store.

FOR THE CURIOUS

 Fish from here

Speaking of fish, 156 species of fish inhabit the Great Lakes ecological system. The most common fish around Hamilton Harbour are carp, bullhead, white sucker, freshwater drum, channel catfish, gizzard shad and rainbow trout. We know all this from information gathered with the Fishway which is located in the Desjardins Canal at the end of the Waterfront Trail (4 km from the Hamilton Waterfront).

Most species are directly dependent on marshes for reproduction, including the vast Cootes Paradise marsh. This system prevents the spring migration of adult carp into the marsh. Introduced into Lake Ontario in 1881, they foul the bottom and destroy aquatic plants, to the detriment of other species.

TO POINT 12...    

(Distance = 40 metres)

Cross to the east side of James St N at Robert St and continue north to 230 James St N.