locations where union activity has resulted in negotiated prices between 

 fishermen, vessel owners, smd shrimp buyers. While actual prices paid 

 to the fishermen may differ from the minimum, the prices tabulated may 

 be considered indicative of the general trend in the specific market. 

 Even >rtiere the unions are strong, the efforts to impose uniform prices 

 are not completely successful with prices fluctuating, in some instsuices 

 as much as 10 percent in 1 week. 



The union's price negotiators watch developnents in the market 

 and try to obtain an upward adjustment when warranted by favorable con- 

 ditions. When consumer demand drops, there is a natural reluctance on 

 the part of the union to accede to a downward adjustment. According to 

 the Bureau of Business and Economic Research of the University of Miami, 

 union activity has a stabilizing effect on price. 



Variations in minimum ex-vessel sharing prices prevailing in 

 different geographic locations, for different species, and different 

 size classes, as well as the general trend in ex-vessel sharing prices 

 over the period for which data have been collected, are shown in the 

 tabulations below. The ccanpaxisons must be interpreted with some cau- 

 tion since minimum sharing prices are not necesseu:ily identical with 

 prices actually negotiated. 



Geographic variations . — Throughout 1952 and the first 2 

 months of 1953 fishermen in the Morgeui City, Louisiana, Area obtained 

 a higher price for simileir count shrimp than the Brownsville, Texas, 

 fishermen. In the latter peirt of 1953 the positions of the fishermen 

 in the two areas were reversed with Brownsville fishermen receiving 

 three cents more per pound. In 195^> minimum sharing prices encountered 

 in the two aureas were simileu:. 



TABLE VIII - 29.— MINIMUM EX-VES3EL SHARING PRICES IN MORGAN CITY, 

 LOUISIANA, AND BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS AREAS, 1952, 1953, AND I95U 



(All varieties, 26-30 count, heads-off) 

 (Cents per poimd) 



117 



