Amparo Aleixandre's routine is no longer the same. These days, she receives orders through text messages, most of them come from her neighbors in the town of El Palmar, an island with about 700 inhabitants, surrounded by the Albufera lagoon, rice crops and orchards. El Palmar is several kilometers away from Valencia, Spain.

Early in the morning, fisherfolk from El Palmar take their small boats and head out at about 4 a.m. to be able to cover the increased demand of fish due to the COVID-19 crisis. Three more fishermen were recruited to join the usual 30 that work in this community of El Palmar. The main fish variety caught is “Lisa”, which is very popular among the island’s inhabitants. This period used to be perfect to harvest eel, but since this product is manly for hotels, restaurants and export, they are spared during these times of pandemic.

Amparo, who is a member of the El Palmar fishing community, receives the fisherfolk upon their return at 8 in the morning. It is still cold when they arrive at the fish market to start packing, labeling and shipping to their destinations all over the city. Once a week, they go out on their electric bicycle equipped with a small refrigerator to transport fresh fish to the families of El Palmar or to the elderly who live alone and cannot leave their homes during the city lockdown.