July 2, 2020 — On the morning of March 18, Shane Slaughter loaded groceries, bait, and other provisions into his pickup truck. He was preparing for a week-long trip to the Channel Islands off the coast of Southern California, where he and another fisherman harvest spot prawns on Slaughter’s 42-foot boat.
But something was off; they weren’t receiving text messages from the wholesalers who buy their coveted crustaceans, which end up in sushi bars and high-end restaurants throughout California.
“It was eerily quiet,” Slaughter said. “Our product is typically in super-high demand, but we weren’t hearing back from people we normally hear back from in seconds.”
With $400 worth of bait thawing in the cooler, the fishermen looked online to discover that restaurants throughout the state had been ordered to close their dining rooms to slow the spread of COVID-19. Some restaurants were still offering takeout and delivery, but Slaughter knew his prawns—like many sea critters—weren’t well-suited for the to-go menu.