As the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the fisher economy of Sri Lanka, leaving households indebted and distressed, co-operatives emerged as a beacon for the small-scale fishing sector’s well-being. Close to 350,000 kg of fish is brought everyday to the Peliyagoda Central Fish market, on the outskirts of Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka Three thousand sellers sit, jostle and haggle in close proximity at the central hub for retailers to collect and disperse their produce to various parts of the country. This hub of market activity was hit with the worst crisis in its history when 19 cases of COVID-19 were discovered in its premises in October last year. The authorities shut down the market at once.