Making ice in a pinch

After three generations as a family fishery, a stone crab and mullet business was put on a deep freeze by red tide. Reinvention awaits as its new venture caters to emergency deliveries.

Eddie Barnhill Jr. in the converted freezer space at Got Ice, which can store 40,000 pounds of product ready for distribution. JimJett.com photo
Eddie Barnhill Jr. in the converted freezer space at Got Ice, which can store 40,000 pounds of product ready for distribution. JimJett.com photo
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It’s a stone cold fact that family fisheries in Southwest Florida have been struggling.

Eddie Barnhill Jr. was able to repurpose some of Barnhill Fisheries equipment, such as refrigerated trucks, to start Got Ice. JimJett.com photo
Eddie Barnhill Jr. was able to repurpose some of Barnhill Fisheries equipment, such as refrigerated trucks, to start Got Ice. JimJett.com photo

A 1995 ban on gill net fishing threw cold water on fisheries along coastal waters. More lately, it's been the scourge of red tide, increasing in intensity the past three years, that have iced fish-focused firms. 

 

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