In a survey of New York and Boston fish markets in 1960, Dr. 

 Starrett found that the wholesale freshwater fish business on the East 

 Coast was declining (Starrett, unpublished). Starrett noted that of the 

 21 freshwater fish dealers in New York prior to World War II, only 11 re- 

 mained in 1960. Only one major handler of freshwater fish was found in 

 Boston. Starrett listed reasons for the decline as (1) preservation and 

 transportation costs of freshwater fish were too high, (2) freshwater 

 fish businesses were being absorbed by the saltwater markets, and (3) 

 the jarred Gefillte fish business reduced the demand for fresh fish. 



The expanding marine fishery had an effect on freshwater fish 

 sales even in the vicinity of the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. 

 In a statewide survey of 271 Illinois retail grocery stores in 1960, 

 Starrett (unpublished) found that 182 (67%) did not sell fresh fish. 

 The main objections given to handling fresh Illinois fish were: (1) 

 48 (13%) stores said they would not sell, (2) 93 (25%) said fresh fish 

 would not keep, (3) 128 (34%) said they were not packaged, (4) 81 

 (22%) said there was no source of supply, and (5) 23 (6%) said they ob- 

 jected to buying a license. Of the retail stores interviewed, 203 

 (77%) said there were very few customer requests for fresh fish. 



The effect these changes had on the wholesale prices paid to Mis- 

 sissippi River commercial fishermen is shown in Table 27. In terms of 1977 dollars , 

 prices changed as follows: carp, down 13c a lb. from a peak of 22c in 1922; buffalo down 

 12c from a peak of 26c in 1922; channel catfish virtually unchanged, at 56e; and 

 freshwater drum down 17<? from a peak of 31c in 1931. 



The overall effect of the declining demand for freshwater fish 

 and reduced wholesale prices has been a reduction in the number of com- 

 mercial fishermen as shown in Table 23. The sustained yield of the 

 upper Mississippi River for the past eighty years by a declining number 

 of fishermen is probably the result of increased efficiency of commer- 

 cial fishing devices (Carlander, 1954: 59-62). Despite the reduction 

 in the numbers of fishermen, the Mississippi River fisheries still play 

 a significant part in the economy of river communities, as noted by 

 Carlander (1954: 70): 



91 



