Marketing shark 



Rough waters ahead for fishery 



Lloyd Davidson's 41-foot Alligator 

 is rigged for shark fishing. But 

 lately, the Morehead City fisherman 

 and his boat spend more time at the 

 dock than out on the water. The prices 

 his catch brings — when he can find a 

 buyer — aren't enough to pay the costs 

 of fishing. 



It's a familiar story for Davidson. 

 About a year ago he made a deal with 

 the owners of a local fish house. He 

 would rig his boat for shark fishing, 

 and the fish house would market his 

 catch. They had an idea that there was 

 a demand for shark in the North, and 

 they were willing to take a risk to get a 

 jump on that market. 



But now, with their venture in its 

 second year, the experimenters say 

 they may have jumped too soon. 

 They're not ready to pull out, mind 



you. They just want to warn others 

 that there's rough water ahead before 

 a strong shark fishery is established. 



"I think the number one thing to 

 say about shark fishing' is not to en- 

 courage people to get into it yet. It's 

 only marginally feasible now," says 

 Davidson. The problem is, "You've 

 almost got to talk people into buying 

 it." 



Doug Brady, an owner of Ottis' Fish 

 Market in Morehead City, markets 

 Davidson's catch — a task he likens to 

 begging. Brady gives an example: if he 

 had 5,000 pounds of shark meat today, 

 he estimates it would take him 24 

 hours on the telephone to sell it. 



Brady managed to convince some 

 buyers in the North and West to 

 purchase Davidson's shark. But he 

 adds that his target market defies 



regional borders — he'll sell to 

 "whoever will buy it." 



"There is some demand," Brady 

 says. "But if you catch a lot, that de- 

 mand will cease. You can fill up the de- 

 mand quickly." 



Concentrating on domestic markets, 

 Brady sells fresh shark, headed and 

 gutted, in the carcass form. His buyers 

 chunk and steak the meat for retailing. 



Traditionally, there has been a 

 foreign market for shark fins, used 

 in the Orient as a main ingredient in 

 shark-fin soup. But Brady says the 

 fishermen handle the marketing of the 

 fins. 



At the start of the shark venture, 

 Brady intended to develop a product 

 out of shark meat. He tested various 

 forms, including patties, steaks, fillets, 

 fish cakes and fish sticks. Brady 

 reports mixed results. He'd like to see 

 food scientists evaluate shark meat for 

 use in such products. 



There are other hurdles. "We're in 

 the wholesale fish business," says 

 Brady. "We make our money on 

 volume. But we can't get a consistent 

 supply. We need tons of shark." 



Davidson says his catches are incon- 

 sistent because his is the only boat 

 fishing specifically for shark. On some 

 days, he catches as much as 7,000 

 pounds of carcass. On other days, his 

 hold is empty. 



The N.C. Division of Marine 

 Fisheries estimates that commer- 

 cial fishermen landed 136,702 pounds 

 of shark in 1983, at a value of $280,399. 

 As part of a marketing program 

 for North Carolina seafoods, the divi- 

 sion may evaluate the potential for a 

 shark fishery, says Director Bob 

 Mahood. 



Virginia Slosser, a fishery marketing 

 specialist with the National Marine 

 Fisheries Service, completed a study in 

 1983 on shark marketing on the East 

 Coast. She believes there is a potential 

 for a fishery. But she adds that the 

 question is when. 



U.S. fisheries statistics estimate the 

 1983 commercial landings of un- 



Photo by Scott Taylor 



This surprise catch could have been marketed if properly handled 



