New markets closer to home 



The search for new markets doesn't have to begin 

 west of the Appalachians. Within North Carolina 

 dealers are beginning to look more closely at markets 

 in the central and western parts of the state— areas 

 that have often been ignored in the past. 



Not surprisingly increased public demand for 

 seafood has had an impact in North Carolina. Today 

 seafood restaurants and retail markets are popping 

 up all over the state. Yet ironically many of the fish 

 that are sold to these markets come from Virginia 

 and South Carolina. "Our dealers have established 

 routes up to Baltimore and New York markets," ex- 

 plains Fay McCotter of the state's Division of Marine 

 and Seafood Development, "but they don't have an 

 established drop off route in the western part of the 

 state." As a result many dealers are missing out on 

 profitable markets in their own back yards. 



Back yard markets 



That's one reason McCotter and others are trying 

 to introduce dealers to markets in key distribution 

 centers further inland. As part of this effort, the 

 Division of Marine and Seafood Development in 

 cooperation with the North Carolina Fisheries 

 Association is setting up promotional exhibits of 

 North Carolina seafood products. One such display 

 was held in Statesville this spring where about 60 in- 

 land buyers met with seven coastal dealers. Ac- 

 cording to McCotter the exhibit was primarily inten- 

 ded to give retailers a chance to find out what kind of 

 seafood products are available in North Carolina. Af- 

 ter that, she notes, it's up to the dealers and buyers to 

 make individual trade agreements. 



Among dealers the concept of in-state marketing of 

 fresh seafood has hit a far more responsive chord 

 than many of the efforts in the Midwest. The biggest 

 advantage appears to be distance. Most seafood 

 dealers are interested in those markets they can 

 reach with their own trucks. "I feel like we've got 

 markets here in North Carolina," emphasizes Murray 

 Nixon. "We could do a good job right here in North 

 Carolina without shipping all the way West." 



Year-round needs 



But distance isn't the only critical element in ex- 

 panding markets. According to McCotter, wholesale 

 and retail markets, whether in the Midwest or the 

 mountains of North Carolina, will require certain 

 changes on the part of the seafood industry. "For one 

 thing, it has to be a year-round thing; it can't quit. 

 They have got to establish a reputable business that 

 can offer the product year-round and not just three or 

 six months a year," she stresses. 



Today sealood restaurants and markets are pop- 

 ping up all over the state. 



"It won't sell if it's not there on a week to week 

 basis," adds Sea Grant marine advisory agent Skip- 

 per Crow. He emphasizes that retailers and 

 wholesalers must be able to count on the supply 

 because they know that if supplies are sporadic, sales 

 will also be sporadic. "It would be like walking into 

 your favorite grocery store and finding the beef coun- 

 ter empty for two weeks at a time . . . seafood would 

 become a low priority item." Low priority items, adds 

 Crow, are risky ventures in any business operation. 



While many North Carolina processors already 

 custom-cut their products, the newer markets will re- 

 quire that more and more of the industry process the 

 fish according to consumer demands and specifica- 

 tions. The specifications will vary from market to 

 market. For example, a restaurant or grocery chain 

 might require that the fish be filleted and portion cut, 

 while institutional markets, such as hospitals and 

 schools, might prefer to dress and portion the 

 products themselves. 



"If I were to go into fish marketing today," ob- 

 serves Norm Angel, executive secretary of the North 

 Carolina Fisheries Association, "I would beg, borrow 

 and steal all the money I could to buy myself a 

 wholly owned freezer and custom cut the fish for the 

 consumer market . . . this is where the money is." 



A festival of North Carolina folklife 



Basket weaving, soap making, lye 

 dripping, net making . . . Each is an 

 integral part of North Carolina's 

 cultural heritage. Yet for many of us these activities 

 are something out of the past, found only in history 

 books and legends. 



The North Carolina Folklife Festival will bring 

 these activities to life Saturday, July 1 through 

 Tuesday, July 4 at Durham's historic West Point on 

 the Eno River. It's all part of a four-day celebration 

 of community and family folk traditions found 

 throughout the state. 



More than 300 crafts and trades people, musicians, 

 storytellers, cooks and dancers are scheduled to par- 

 ticipate in the festival. Each region of the state, in- 

 cluding the mountains, piedmont and coast, will be 

 represented through folklore, crafts, music and food. 

 There will be boat building demonstrations from 

 Harker's Island, blues guitar and piano music from 

 Greensboro and corn meal grinding from Cherokee. 



In addition to the regional folk exhibits and 

 demonstrations, there will be a Crossroads section 

 where both festival goers and participants will have a 

 chance to talk about some of the traditional folkways 

 in more detail and look at how these traditions have 

 changed over time. 



For children, a special Children's Area is being set 

 up where the activities will include traditional 

 games, songs, toys and crafts of the various regions. 



The festival is sponsored by the North Carolina 

 Department of Cultural Resources' Office of Folklife 

 Programs. Admission is $1 per day for those between 

 ages 12 and 65, and 50 cents for ages 6 to 12. Senior 

 citizens and preschoolers will be admitted free. All 

 festival parking will be located at designated lots 

 along the main routes to the festival. Shuttle bus ser- 

 vice will be available from the parking lots to the 

 festival. 



For more information on the festival, contact the 

 Office of Folklife Programs, North Carolina Depart- 

 ment of Cultural Resources, Raleigh, North Carolina 

 27611. Telephone: (919) 733-4867. 



The University of North Carolina Sea Grant College 

 Newsletter is published monthly except July and 

 December by the University of North Carolina Sea 

 Grant College Program, 105 1911 Building, North 

 Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C. 27660, Vol. 5, 

 No. 4, April, 1978. Dr. B. J. Copeland, director. Written 

 and edited by Mary Day Mordecai and Virginia 

 Worthington. Second-class postage paid at Raleigh, N.C. 

 27611. 



