Avery. — State Fishing in Minnesota 61 



HOW FISH ARE HANDLED. 



Our pound net fish from Red Lake are packed round, with the 

 exception of whitefish, which are always dressed. All other fish 

 caught by Indian or white fishermen under contract for the state 

 are required to be furnished dressed. They are required to be 

 delivered at certain collecting stations where they are sorted, 

 boxed, iced, (except in winter) and shipped and billed to cus- 

 tomers. The standard boxes, holding about 150 pounds of iced 

 fish are used, boxes to be returned by customers and used over 

 again several times. 



HOW DISTRIBUTED AND SOLD. 



At first it was necessary to sell the fish in public markets, on 

 the streets, in department stores, or anywhere to advertise the 

 enterprise and acquaint the people with their opportunity to 

 get cheap fish. Almost invariably the demand greatly exceeded 

 the supply, as the people came in large numbers and bought 

 eagerly of the state fish. 



There has in some cases been a reluctance on the part of regular 

 retail dealers to handle the state fish on account of the margin of 

 profit and selling prices being fixed. We have sometimes found it 

 necessary to sell the fish on depot platforms, in barber shops, 

 general stores, private houses, and on the streets, until a demand 

 was created and the regular dealer recognized the desirability of 

 handling the state fish. In public market places and city depart- 

 ment stores people fought for preferred positions in line to get 

 fish. Game wardens, who acted as agents, often reported selling 

 out shipments of several boxes in short order and the demand not 

 satisfied. Volunteer dealers in many communities are still handling 

 the fish, sometimes with no profit whatever to themselves, purely 

 as a patriotic service. 



Wholesale dealers have in some instances shown a disposition 

 to co-operate, in others to object and obstruct. Finally they 

 have all come to handle and distribute most of the fish sold in 

 Minneapolis and St. Paul on a percentage basis, the price to 

 retailer and consumer remaining the same as if sold direct by the 

 state. Our plan is to ship by prepaid express to all points in 

 the state. A large part of the distribution in southern Minnesota 



