Every Christmas Eve, Don Takash jets around the parking lot outside Ahearn’s Seafood with a big smile, greeting customers and directing traffic. It’s the busiest day of the year with fish being so much a part of traditional holiday meals, especially at the Jersey Shore. The entire family and staff bustle behind the counter with a line of customers out the door.

Takash owns the fish market and the seafood wholesale business Sally’s Seafood, which supplies many area restaurants.