Veteran fishing family grows into retail

After two decades on the water, the Daniels family is confident its fish market will continue to catch on.

By WAVENEY ANN MOORE

© St. Petersburg Times, published August 2, 2000

MADEIRA BEACH -- It's midway through summer and the owners of Family Fresh Fish Market are gratified.

Open since January, the store sought its footing during winter and now that the hottest season is here and the snowbirds are gone, business is continuing to hold steady.

"What everyone told us is, if we can make it through the summer, then we can make it, and we're making it," said Kenny Daniels Jr., general manager of the family-owned business at 13613 Gulf Blvd.

With its barrier island location, the seafood shop benefits from having the Intracoastal Waterway in its back yard, where its boats unload their catch. But the spot has housed seafood stores before. Until the Daniels family decided to launch their retail business in late January, the store had been vacant for more than two years.

Daniels is confident that he, his parents and brother can make a go of it.

"It's something that we've always wanted to do," he said.

"We've been tentatively talking about this inside the family for at least 10 years. We wanted to try to educate more people about seafood. We're trying to open up more markets and avenues for the product and it gives us a little more of a land base to work out of."

For the past 20 years, the family has made a living fishing. The elder Daniels, Kenny Sr., started out as a deck hand on someone else's boat. These days he captains the 70-foot Nemo Bounty, one of the family's three fishing boats along with the 50-foot Marsha Lynn, named after the family matriarch, and the 36-foot Finventure.

But when presented with the opportunity to rent the 1,200-foot Gulf Boulevard store from Triangle Fisheries, the wholesaler that occupies part of the property, the family did not hesitate.

Daniels and his mother, Marsha, are in charge of the market, while his father, younger brother Kevin and a friend continue to run the fishing business.

The store, with its colorful window mural painted by St. Petersburg resident Christie Winnans, carries fresh catch, a small quantity of frozen fish and other specialties.

"We do alligator tail meat. We do frog's legs, anything remotely close to seafood," Daniels said. "If a customer should come in and ask for something we don't have, we go to work to get it."

The seafood market offers smoked fish, seafood spreads and various seasonings including one formulated by Mrs. Daniels.

Kenny Jr., 31, said his long involvement in the seafood business is an advantage to customers.

"I pick out every fish that we buy," he said. "The boats I buy off, I can be selective. I know who goes the extra mile to take care of their fish."

Daniels said he became interested in commercial fishing at 13.

"I got into trouble right after the school year. I had to go to work with Pop on the boat and I fell in love with it and never quit. And I kept going back until I graduated from high school and I went full-time," he said.

After graduating from Gibbs High School in 1988, he flew to Costa Rica, where he joined his father's boat for the tuna and swordfish seasons. Their fishing expedition continued around Florida and Galveston, Texas, concluding before the Christmas holidays.

Life as a fisherman is tough, said Daniels.

"There are the mechanical problems, the natural problems, weatherwise and such. You have to wear so many hats. You've got to be a father to some. More than catching the fish, you've got to bring home the boat and everybody safe," said Daniels, who has one child, Xavier, 5.

Besides, he added, it is important to bring home a product that's good.

The long hours of toil learned at sea serve him well these days. The market, which is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, occupies much of his time.

"Sometimes it takes 16 hours a day, and sometimes it only takes 10 hours a day," he said. "You've got to be self-motivated."

Daniels has no regrets.

"I'm sorry I didn't do it sooner," he said.

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