After ten years of selling fresh, local seafood at the Thursday produce market on Magellan Street, Michael ‘Swifty’ Swift is ready to open his own shop in the Lismore CBD.

The new shop is located at 50 Keen Street, opposite the cinemas and Michael said he expects the shop to be open within the next four weeks.

While he gets the new shop ready and waits for Council to approve the DA, he is selling fresh fish from his car out the front of it – on Monday, Tuesday and Friday.

The new shop is set to be the only retail specialist fresh seafood shop in the village.

“I used to be a fisherman and had a trawler in Iluka before I started doing this,” Michael said. “I have lots of experience with fish.

“I don’t have time to fish anymore, because this business takes up all my time.

He doesn’t catch all the fish he sells, but said he sources it from professional fishermen, from Coffs Harbour to Tweed Heads.

“Sometimes I source salmon from Tasmania or New Zealand - anywhere there is good fish."

Michael fillets all the fish he sells.

“I’m pretty good at it after all those years of fishing,” he said.

“My specialty is boneless flathead. I bone everything to the best of my abilities - there might be the odd bone, but I try to get them all.

“My favourite fish is flathead – it’s a beautiful fish to eat.

“It’s light, you can batter it, crumb it – anything you like with it.

“I like cod too – and I get blue eyed cod and Mahi Mahi to sell too.”

Michael intends to open the new shop Monday to Saturday and maybe Sundays in the busy periods.

He hopes to keep selling fish at the Thursday market too.

“After doing the markets for ten years, people in Lismore have really supported me – it’s a good little town,” he said.

“Opening a shop is just the next step."