<*5 



of other raw materials , such as trash fish during periods when starfish are relative- 

 ly scarce. The existence of such a standby Bource of unused raw material would 

 have to be assured. The 

 relatively small size of 

 the Connecticut trawl and 

 trap fishery up to 1947 

 has not offered the assur- 

 ance of a reliable supply 

 of trash fish. 



With raw material costs 

 inevitably high, transporta- 

 tion costs would of neces- 

 sity have to be kept at a 

 minimum. The drying plant 

 would have to be located 

 at the point of maximum 

 starfish concentration. A 

 floating dehydration plant 

 would solve the problem of 

 accessibility to a shifting 

 and uncertain source of 

 raw material. To operate 

 efficiently, this type of 

 plant would need a small 

 fleet of "buy" boats to 

 collect the starfish. Since 

 operations of this type 

 have not been carried out 

 on the East Coast, cost es- 

 timates are difficult to 

 make . It is certain that 



costs would be very high unless a supply of raw material of many times the quantity 

 of starfish now available in 1947 were definitely assured. 



The cost of drying, grinding, packing, and selling of starfish meal would be 

 equal to or greater than similar costs of other byproduct meal. Personal observa- 

 tion, as well as the limited experiences of the Rhode Island Oyster Company in 

 producing a trial lot of starfish meal, suggest that the tendency of raw starfish 

 to mat together will lead to difficulties in maintaining an even feed to the driers. 

 Special handling would be required to eliminate this difficulty, and grinding 

 the dry meal might also present difficulties. The starfish skin is both tough 

 and abrasive, and has a tendency to flake into sheets rather than to break into 

 a uniform particle size. Reduction of moisture content below 3 percent would 

 facilitate grinding but would add considerably to drying costs . 



The most efficient type of drier operating continually at optimum capacity 

 would add $19.00 to $20.00 to the cost of a ton of starfish meal. Total production 

 costs were estimated by Burkenroad to total about $42.00 per ton for a steam dried 

 meal. This value is, however, based on a regular year around supply of raw material 

 to yield an annual production of 5.000 tons. This would mean 25,000 tons (50 

 million pounds) of raw material would be required and as indicated above there 

 seems to be no possibility that the supply of starfish could regularly meet more 

 than a small fraction of this total demand for raw material. 



3 4 S 6 7 8 



DISTRIBUTION OF STARFISH IN CHESAPEAKE BAY IN MARCH 1937 



