APPENDIX III APPENDIX III 
Marketing potential 
Due to the many small processors, industry promotion 
is relatively low. Some State agencies have helped with 
oyster promotional campaigns, but State and industry offi- 
cials believe that oyster promotion has been insufficient. 
These officials expressed concern that many young adults 
are not eating fresh oysters and that as a result the 
demand in this traditional market may be declining. Other 
factors affecting consumer demand include: the desire for 
more conveniently packaged and easy to prepare products, 
the belief that oysters are a seasonal, luxury product, 
and consumer reluctance to eat oysters due to publicity 
about bacterial and chemical pollution in their growing 
areas. 
Since most promotional efforts have been directed at 
the industry's principal product, the fresh oyster, oppor- 
tunity exists to expand promotional activities to other 
product forms. Demand for these products may prove suffi- 
cient to attract additional investment in oyster production 
and procesSing activities. 
OBSTACLES INHIBITING GROWTH 
AND DEVELOPMENT 
Resource availability 
Production of oyster resources can be greatly expanded. 
However, aside from unusually large natural population 
increases, investments in enhancement programs are necessary. 
Increases in production costs resulting in lower rates of 
return, lack of high-quality oyster seed supplies, anda 
high risk of loss due to disease, predators, floods, and 
pollution continue to block investments in private beds. 
Private lease holders in some Atlantic States have 
only been assigned marginally productive areas to cultivate. 
Several States have programs to improve oyster beds in 
potentially productive public areas; however, State offi- 
cials said that funding for this purpose is limited. Even 
though the harvest of oysters from public areas is taxed 
to support repletion programs, the funds are insufficient 
to improve many potentially productive areas. Many State 
officials and resource studies conclude that if such areas 
were leased, investment, production, and harvesting effi- 
ciency would increase. 
Oyster production in the Gulf of Mexico is affected 
by salinity of the water and mortality by predators; too 
much or too little salinity and oysters cannot survive. 
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