awareness 



processing plants and delivery trucks, suppliers are doing a better job 

 of keeping the catch cool. 



Even air transportation figures into the quality quotient. 



Consumers are craving salmon from Alaska, crawfish from 

 Louisiana and mussels from Maine. 



Consequently, Calloway knows the airline schedules from Miami 

 and Boston to Raleigh as well as he knows today's market price for 

 shrimp and swordfish. 



Air freighting allows distributors to transport fresh seafood across 

 country in hours. The seafood is packed with gel refrigerants to 

 ensure its freshness and quality. 



No matter how seafood arrives at the grocery store or fish market, 

 it's up to the retailer to be the final quality control checkpoint in 

 seafood's path to the consumer. 



"I check the gills, eyes and run my thumb up the scales of the fish," 

 says Stephen Taylor of Jack's Seafood Market in Raleigh. "If the fish 

 is gutted, I look at the blood in the body cavity to see how dried and 

 dark it is. 



"I send it back if it doesn't look fresh," Tkylor says. 



Gary Bass of Fishmonger's Seafood Market in Durham says he has 

 rejected shipments, too. But to eliminate the problems of unaccept- 

 able products, Bass buys directly from fishermen and fish houses. 



No middle-man distributors for him. 



Bass sends a truck to coastal North Carolina once a week to pick 

 up fish and shellfish. He says the extra effort is worth it. 



"If I know that a fisherman has taken care of his catch, I have no 

 trouble holding it for as long as a week before it's sold " Bass says. 

 "Good fish that is properly refrigerated will hold a week." 



Skip Kemp, Sea Grant's seafood marketing specialist, agrees. But he 

 cautions that seafood must be kept between 30° F and 32° F. 



And he suggests that retailers date their product. Then they'll 

 know when their seafood is too old for sale. 



At Jack's Seafood Market, Tkylor keeps his tuna, mackerel and 

 dolphin on ice. 



He packs ice along the bottom of a display case that he keeps well 

 drained. 



Fillets are placed on perforated trays and covered with plastic wrap 

 to keep them moist. Whole fish are laid directly on the ice bed. 



By taking good care of his fish and shellfish, Tkylor lets his 

 customers know his commitment to quality and keeps them coming 

 back. 



"People are a lot smarter about buying seafood now," Tkylor says. 

 "They're looking for better quality. Prices are higher, and they want 

 to get the most for their money." 



