ECONOMICS OF THE FISHERIES 



459 



TABLE 36 



Some Prices from Fisherman via Trucker and Wholesaler to Consumer, 

 October-November, 1946 



is cheaper at the source than meats, but costs more to distribute, so that 

 most or all of the first advantage is lost. 



Functions, Practices and Attitudes Common to the Distributive Mechan- 

 ism as a Whole. Storing in some manner, even for short periods, is an essen- 

 tial function of the distributive mechanism for such varied, fluctuating, and 

 perishable products as seafoods. Packing in ice serves for short periods and, 

 combined with alert management of purchases and sales, enables the larger 

 distributor to provide an approximately steady and dependable supply of 

 seafoods to the trade, with occasional disappointment or complaint. 



For longer terms, freezing (as well as permanent preservation by canning, 

 etc.) serves to carry over from in-season to out-of-season trade. 



Stability and Dependability of Supply. The preparation of frozen edible 

 portions in standardized branded packages is not merely an improvement 

 on, or a new facility in, an existing business, but a revolutionary change in 

 method of meeting the demands of the market. If adopted it would com- 

 pletely change the nature of the distributor's business. It is probably for 

 this reason that all dealers, especially the truckers, distributor-dealers, and 

 wholesalers, are generally skeptical of or unfriendly to the frozen package 

 business. These dealers are geared and prepared by experience and skill to 

 perform the complicated task of assembling highly variable supplies from 

 many places, and regularizing, stabilizing, and channeling them to all the 

 final outlets. The standardized frozen package makes much of this service 

 unnecessary. 



At the time of this Survey, no producer-dealer on the coast in North 

 Carolina was processing seafood and offering it in small packages, either 

 frozen or not, for retail distribution. 



It is probably demonstrable that no method of freezing (or any other 

 preservation) provides fish which is quite the equal of strictly fresh at the 

 shore. Frozen package fillets are inferior to this, but the choice to the 



