Young’s Eyes Rebuild For Summer Following Crane Accident

ORLEANS – The general manager of Young’s Fish Market last week said he expects the market will be rebuilt in time for the 2026 season.

“I am,” said Mark Achille when reached by phone Nov. 14. “We’re anticipating that and would love that. But we’d have to talk to the town and see what they say.”

On Nov. 7, an accident involving a crane caused significant damage to the Young’s building, which is located directly next to where construction is ongoing on the new commercial bulkhead at Rock Harbor. Achille said he believes that the crane may have “given way” during a pause in the work.

“I went down there immediately after it happened and I could tell that people were very distraught,” he said. “It was a legitimate accident. What can you do? Accidents happen.”

In a statement shortly after the accident, the town said that there were no injuries or environmental impacts related to the incident. Amanda Converse, the town’s public information officer, said in an email last week that the cause of the accident remains under investigation by the project contractor, Coastal Marine Construction.

Coastal Marine Construction did not respond to a request for comment as of The Chronicle’s Tuesday deadline.

The Harrison family has owned the market, as well as Nauset Fish Market and Lobster Pool and Sir Cricket’s Fish and Chips on Route 6A, for decades. While the building housing the market is owned by Young’s, the land on which it operates has been owned by the town since 1957, according to town assessing records. Voters approved a five-year lease between Young’s and the town on use of the 0.5 acre parcel in May 2021.

Achille said given the market’s long history with the town, he expects there will be a concerted effort to get the market rebuilt in time for the summer season.

“Nauset Fish under the Harrisons’ ownership is coming up on almost 60 years, and I know [Young’s] is even older than that,” he said. “So yeah, it’s iconic in this area.”

The market is located in a flood zone. But Achille said he’s hopeful that that will not impact permitting for a new building, noting that the neighboring Cap’t Cass restaurant reopened its doors earlier this year.