A huge oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has rippled into Mexico’s coastal fishing economy, leaving fishermen and vendors in Veracruz describing empty markets and a near shutdown as Holy Week approached. In the seaside city, fish markets that typically swell with customers ahead of the holiday had been “virtually empty,” with some vendors promoting their goods amid a sharp drop in demand, the Associated Press reported.

The spill has spread more than 373 miles (600 kilometers) across the ocean and has seeped into seven nature reserves, according to the Associated Press account. Mexicans who work in Veracruz’s fishing industry said the timing struck particularly hard because the weeks before Holy Week are traditionally among the busiest in the year.

Mexican authorities said the spill began from a vessel anchored off the coast of the port city of Coatzacoalcos in Veracruz state, along with two “natural seepages.” Authorities estimated that about 430 tons of hydrocarbons had been collected along the coasts of three Gulf states—Veracruz, Tabasco and Tamaulipas—and said they had ruled out severe environmental damage.

Even so, local reports and circulated images have fueled public concern, including claims that dead turtles, eels and fish had washed up on beaches and floated near shorelines. Fishermen and residents described a widening worry that went beyond the immediate handling of contaminated waters and catches.

A key pressure point has been whether people should eat seafood during the spill response. Amid public concern, federal health authorities denied reports of illnesses linked to consuming fish or seafood, saying the issue stemmed from possible contamination. Concern nevertheless continued to spread across the country, including in Mexico City, where Susana Gutiérrez, a 67-year-old seamstress, said shoppers needed to be cautious because people still did not know what the spill could lead to.

Fishermen said the economic toll came not only from lower supplies but also from consumers’ reluctance to buy. Miguel López Rojas, who owns a fish stall in Veracruz’s market, said the spill threatened his livelihood as fish availability fell and the market failed to draw regular buyers.

Local reporting also described how containment and cleanup efforts increased the pressure on already disrupted fishing work. Fishermen said they had been forced to almost completely halt fishing to avoid contamination of boat engines and nets with oil, effectively cutting off their main source of income.

In the town of Salinas in southwestern Veracruz, Norma González Pérez said the year had been disastrous for fishermen and that, in her lifetime, she had not experienced something of that magnitude. She said some fishermen had turned to bank loans to cope with worsening conditions and that the holiday season no longer felt like it used to, describing the current situation as bleak: “This year there will be no celebration or anything,” González Pérez said. “This year we will basically have nothing.”