QOOUtx ~"00'* \| F TO ••• ..732.... 76% ( 2 ) Shipments Railroad . 12,034,738 Truck 9,835,612 Water 12,125,536 Other 309,626 SPECIES OF CATCH FISH Black Bass 65,826 Black Fish 337,728 Blue Fish 835,180 Blue Runner 7,200 Bream 46,199 Catfish 367,819 Grouper 1,463,907 King Fish 1,126,263 Mullet 15,712,342 Pompano 185,028 Red Fish 228,335 Sea Bass 6,000 Shad 29,785 Sheepshead 337,500 Snapper, Red 2,175,219 Snook 53,050 Spanish Mackerel 2,748,844 Sea Trout 1,965,477 Others 4,325,113 Total 32,016,815 Lbs, SHELLFISH Oysters 109,619 Shrimp 1,983,616 Others 195,462 Total 2,288,697 Lbs, GRAND TOTAL 34,305,512 Lbs. ( 3 ) "WHOLESALER AND PROCESSOR SURVEYED 163 Investments Buildings and Land $ 403,996.40 Equipment 681,502.93 Total $1,085,499.33 Purchases 56,176,647 Lbs. Independent Fishermen 28,213,298 Dealer Financed Boats........ 21,582,553 Wholesalers 5,047,322 Truckers 1,159,822 Brokers 54,652 Others 119,000 Spoilage and "Waste 1,851,055 Lbs. Type of Purchase Transaction Outright Purchases 36,787,771 Upon Landing 15,363,292 After Sale 1,245,348 Other.. • 929,181 Terms of Purchase Cash 48,886,187 Credit 5,439,405 Type of Product Purchases Round "Whole Fish 40,699,164 Eviscerated 8,739,570 Beheaded and Eviserated 2,476,906 Fillets 20,090 Oysters... 296,385 Shrimp 2,072 ,47 7 Smoked Fish 21,000 Sales Direct Sales 33,950,226 Through Brokers 11,940,882 Consignment 8,084,813 Other 349,671 Terms of Sale Cash. 26,593,009 Credit. 22,896 ,480 Other 4,836,103 ( 4 ) Shipments to, Wholesaler or Processor,... 32,873,440 Retailer Independent 7,697,892 Chain 1,344,629 Trucker 8,962,229 Hotel, Restaurant and Cafe'.... 2,632,874 Other 814,528 Terms of Shipment F.O.B. Shipping Point 33,679,311 Transportation Paid 11,690,408 Other 3,486,683 Transportation Method Railroad 4,564,841 Truck 8,019,278 Water. 30,640,936 Other 11,100,537 Total 54,325,592 Lbs. TRUCK OPERATORS INTERVIEWED 28 AVERAGE LOAD * 2 tons Average Miles per Trip. ..575 Average Hours per Trip 96 Type Truck Open Body 22 Closed Body..... 5 Refrigerated Body 1 Method of Loading Bulk 17 Boxes 5 Barrels 6 CITIES CANVASSED ON SANITATION 18 Sanitary Inspection Special Sanitary Requirements. 12 Regular Food Inspection 14 Health Certificate Required 14 Inspection Cards Issued 4 Regularity of Inspection Daily 1 Monthly • • 8 Irregular 8 ( 5 ) SPECIES OF SHIPMENTS FISH Slack Bass Blue Fish Blue Runner Bottom Fish Bream. Catfish Flounder Grouper Hard Tail Jack Fish. Jew Fish King Fish Mullet Pompano Red Bass Red Fish Sea Bass Sea Trout Shad Sheepshead Speckle Trout Snapper Red Mango Spanish Mackerel Snook Spots Trout Others Total SHELLFISH Oysters Shrimp Others Total 181,000 3,696,463 3,530 503,243 247,900 1,743,743 40,065 1,471,521 3,588 5,119 1,950 2,553,509 20,133,846 451,381 68,545 18,890 10,000 2,661,569 273,952 2,200 7,828 1,300,204 ' 13,841 6,218,842 204,112 20,000 50,000 922,268 42,809,109 Lbs. 426,804 10,655,684 433,995 11,516,483 Lbs. GRAND TOTAL 54,325,592 Lbs. ( 6 ) OCCURANCB OF COASTAL AND INLAND COMMERCIAL FLORIDA FISH BASED OH MOST RELIABLE COMMERCIAL IN FORMAT ION BLUEFISH On coast entire year: On East Coast* heaviest October to May with heavy run of fish April-May: On West Coast, Cedar Keys south October to November, reappearing in May and grad¬ ually increasing; 1 lb, fish, SPANISH MACKEREL On East Coast, November to May with ligbt scattering schools balance of year: On West Coast, September and May; off shore balance of year, coming occasionally from St, Marks to coast west, KING MACKEREL On East Coast, same as Spanish Mackerel; On West Coast, April through June, Cedar Keys west, TROUT On coast entire year (closed season June 15th, to July 15th.) POMPiNO On coast entire year. On East Coast, heaviest in winter, off beach, Cape Canaverel south. On West Coast, heaviest from Pinellas County south, heaviest catch April through June. MULLET (Closed season December 1st, to January 20th, except Okaloosa County.) On East Coast, New Smyrna to Jupiter, all year with heaviest production September-October, On West Coast entire year with heaviest production Sarasota south, September- November, SHAD January to April, in St, Johns River and off Mayport. CATFISH Year round, St. Johns River and Lake Okeechobee. BOTTOM FISH On coast entire year ( 7 ) PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS RELATED TO THE SURVEY PROPER It is felt that the value of the survey as provided in the regular project may be increased by noting personal obser¬ vations made during the period of the principal work. Various phases of the industry will be considered under general headings. ( 8 ) INSHORE FISHING This covers operations from the one man boat used for run- around gill nets, to the seagoing vessels out 3 or 4 days for red snappers. The boat in most common use is handled by two men. The boat is open with no provisions for carry¬ ing fish other than an open compartment; a few larger boats carry ice when they expect to be out 2 days or more. Fish¬ ing in most cases is with gill nets or lines; seining or stop net fishing is carried on in a few counties. In gill netting, the heaviest catches are made during the dark night; with favorable weather, the boats go out before dark and fish until daylight. A catch is frequently made before dark; these fish are carried on the bottom of a load which may be four feet deep, for 12 hours or more where the sea and air temperatures are over 70 degrees. In one observation, the fish carried 5 hours on the bottom of a load that event¬ ually reached a depth of 2 feet, rose in temperature from 74 degrees to 80 degrees. Unfortunately, weather conditions during the period of observation were such that no gill net boat remained at sea for the normal period of a whole night. The fact that fish rose 6 degrees in temperature even under a moderate load and during a limited period is evidence that under conditions of all night fishing, heavy loads and higher temperatures, the rise of temperature might well be such as to bring the first caught fish to a temperature well above 80 degrees. In the Canadian Fisherman for September 1935, it is shown that fish maintained at 60 degrees for several hours deter¬ iorate seriously- In Bureau of Fisheries Tech. Inv. Ho. 1., ( 9 ) It is shown that fish maintained at 80 degrees for 4 hours have materially deteriorated. It is evident that many Florida fish have begun to deoomposo before they aro landed even if alive YJhcn taken from the nets. It is known that some fish remain drowned in the nets for some time before hauling and that the fish which obviously have begun to decompose are landed. However, it is believed that fish which are decomposed to such an extent that the skin is broken are rejected at the vdiarf. It should be taken into consideration that a fish living ■under normal conditions in water over 70 degrees does not decompose, but a dead fish at the same temperature is subject to rapid decomposition. From the publications mentioned above, it is shown that fish kept at a temperature approaching 32 degrees have high resistance to decomposition. It is therefore obvious that fish boats operating in Florida waters should be fitted with iced cargo compartments and that all fish should be iced immediately after each catch. It is not unreasonable to suggest that before a license is issued for operation of a boat, evidence of approved equipment for the icing of fish be offered in the license application. On February 16th, 1936 at 8:00 P.M. about 200 lbs. of blue fish were landed in a fish house at Ft. Pierce and left without ice -until the following morning. This case is no exception. It is reported as nothing uncommon for fish to ( 10 ) be on the floor for 10 hours or more with only limited ic¬ ing or sometimes none at all. What is believed to be a unique feature of Florida inshore fishing is the attempt to make a fixed price to fishermen for market fish of one species during one season* irrespec¬ tive of the sale price in consuming markets. With no i*egu- lation placed upon the care of fish before delivery to the whole- sale-shippors, whose houses may be at varying distances from fishing grounds, the quality of stocks at different points is subject to considerable general variation. From the information available, the quality of one species land¬ ed at two East Coast points varies so much that the fish from one point almost invariably sell for more than those from the other pointj West Coast fish of the same species are said to sell at an average price below thoso from any East Coast point due not to the quality of the fish as taken from nets, but to the quality in the barrels. These price variations appear to occur from the absence of ice upon the boats and the varying periods elapsing before stocks arc iced. The desirability of early icing was rocog- nizod by a former prominent wholesaler who claimed that every hour fish were carried without ice reduced by one day the period during which the fish would keep in a condition such that they could bo sold at a profit. The general principle outside of Florida for payment for market fish to the fishing vessel or boat is from receipts of auctions or open bids, the fisherman's net receipts varying with the price that stocks bring in the Tdiolesale ( 11 ) distributing centers. The wide variation in volume of catches naturally produoes a corresponding variation in the volume of stock thrown upon the market. Vifith consumer demands much more constant than production volume* it naturally follows that a market flooded with a perishable commodity is going to be depressed. If the shore whole¬ saler is paying the fisherman a fixed price and receiving a variable price, it naturally follows that the wholesaler must absorb heavy losses at times, unless he can stop his fishermen from working in time to prevent losses. If the fishermen are tied up, it is obvious that their income ceases• Many fishermen argue that they cannot pay expenses if fish axe sold below a price which they fix at that which the wholesaler can afford to pay when catches are small and hence distributing prices are high. The inability of the wholesaler to pay this arbitrarily fixed price in the face of a loaded market is a primary cause of the repeated strikes which have occurred in the fish industry of Florida. It is obviously impossible for Florida wet fish to be auc¬ tioned at any one point nor is it reasonable to pay the same price for stocks of one species varying in quality. A possible solution of the problem of payments to fishermen appears to bo a division of the wholesalers1 net receipts in fixed proportions to the vrholesalers and to the fishermen. This would allow fishing to continue except in extreme cases, the point of cut-off being the price at which the fishermen ceasos to make a reasonable net profit by delivering capacity ( 12 ) loads. It would naturally bo advisable to give assurance to all parties concerned that receipts are divided accord¬ ing to the ratio which may be agreed to. THE INSHORE FISHERMAN Many inshore fishermen are steady, hard-working men, but apparently many others have an income limited by personal habits. Some admit that net receipts are dissipated after their own clothing and food are paid for. In some cases, intoxication further limits working ability; in fact, fish¬ ing is not followed as long as money remains for liquor. The net receipts are reduced by advances obtained from wholesalers' by the family of the fisherman. During slack seasons, the custom is for the wholesaler to maintain the family if there is confidence that the fisherman will work when the business is active. Families maintained in this way do not appear on relief rolls. "Where tho wholesaler does not have sufficient confidence in such a fisherman to warrant credit for weeks or months, the family must seek other sources for support. Records of such families with detail of personal histories may be found with the Florida State Welfare Board. Any constructive effort made for improvement of conditions of fishermen or for relief monies might take the above into consideration. In practically every fishing center there are fishermen who own their boats, gear, homes, an automobile and other necessities and comforts. Their families are well pro¬ vided for. In contrast, many men in the same community fishing the same type of gear on the same grounds and ( 13 ) dealing with the same wholesaler* are constantly on the verge of poverty. It is unusual to find a Florida fisherman who supplements his income by working a vegetable garden or keeping any kind of live stock. THE OFFSHORE FISHERMAN From such information as is available* most of the officers of offshore vessels are efficient men. The crews to a considerable extent are roustabouts who work only when penniless. After a vessel lands and the crew is paid off for the trip, much of the cash received is dissipated, largely for liquor; when the cash is gone, the fisherman returns for work. There are doubtless exceptions to this rule but not many. It is recognized that with this class of help, provisions must be made for shore leave in order to keep vessels running. But it does not appear noccssary to have men of this type determine the layout of work, a claim which has been made by some wholesalers. OFFSHORE FISHING This is limited to schooners out over four days; with the exception of one vessel, all operations are in the Gulf of Mexico. All fishing is by lines and the principal species taken are snappers and groupers. These vessels all oarry ice, and fish are supposed to be packed in ice as soon as possible after catching. At the present time it is customary to remove the stomachs of snappers before icing, but groupers are brought in round. ( 14 ) Although as many as 20 vessels may be owned and operated by one concern, each vessel fishes as an independent unit. The custom is for the vessel to remain at sea as long as warranted by ice and food supplies. Possibly three weeks may be the average time for a vessel to be out of port, which means that some fish have been caught for 18 days when the vessel docks. Complaints are not infrequent that some snappers are in poor condition when landed. At the larger dealers they are carefully inspected and culls are removed from stock. One positive complaint is made that a considerable pro¬ portion of red snappers supplied after landing are soured by partially decomposed vicera. This inexcusable deterio¬ ration in quality of fish results in loss to everyone in this business. It has been suggested to operators handling a fleet that fish be transferred within 2 days after catching to fast run boats for regular delivery to the shore of fish not over 4 days old. The dealers' objection to this practice is that fishermen insist on shore leave once a month. It has been pointed out that the run boat could bring in men in turn; no adverse criticism is made to this proposal. Anyone familiar with modern fishing principles can recog¬ nize the need for technical improvements in the offshore fisheries of Florida. It is within reason that health authorities may in no distant time require certain changes in the business. ( 15 ) THE TflHOLESALE HANDLING OF FISH There are three general classes of this business. Many ■wholesale concerns are old establishments operated on approved principles. A second type is often started by a fisherman or other party with limited capital and equipment and often with little or no knowledge of market¬ ing. A third type of business combines both fishing and wholesale distribution. Most wholesalers (shore shippers) are financially involved with the nominally independent men fishing for them since they finance the fishermen with more or less equipment and supplies. The handling of fish at wholesale places varies somewhat in detail, but in general the fish are v/eighed as unloaded from the boat and thrown upon a floor, a little ice piled over the stock in some cases. Another practice after fish are partly eviscerated is to dump them into iced sea water before packing. The actual time that fish may be on the floor of the wholesaler varies from a few minutes to several hours. A reported practice especially among smaller and less experienced houses is to send a truck for ice after fish are unloaded from boats. It is claimed that several hours often elapse before fish are chilled. The shipment of most Florida fish is in barrels or in bulk. In the packing of king mackerel, the backbone of the fish is sometimes broken in order to force the fish into the ( 16 ) barrel. In all cases observed, fish are thrown sides up in the barrel, thus exposing the softer abdomen to damage from sharp ice. A common praotioe is to load the barrel so that the top fish are flush with the rim, then pile as much ice as possible and pound this down until it is flush with the rim. It is evident that damage to fish cannot be avoided. Indifference to the condition of stock is explained by the attitude of some wholesalers who state that they are not interested in what becomes of stock after it is marketed. Bulk shipments are often packed by shovelling the fish upon a coarse ice bottom, with similar ice in the middle and the top of the heap. In both barrel and bulk ship¬ ments the bottom of the load is subjected to needlessly excessive weight. Barrel packing is slightly cheaper than box packing but the principal excuse offered by the trade for barrel shipment is that barrels are easier to handle. Apparently no consideration whatever is given to the quality of the fish as received at distant points; neither is consideration given to the fact that the consumer supports the industry. There would appear to be no practical reason why fish should be exposed to atmospheric temperature at the whole¬ sale house longer than the time required to transfer the stock from the fish boat through the weighing operation and to storage. One wholesale house now has tanks of iced sea water where fish are held between unloading and packing. However, these tanks a're of limited capacity ( 17 ) and any stocks above moderate volume are piled on the floor. There is no reason to believe that the stpfing of fish in iced sea water during the handling peri/od would be detriment¬ al to quality. An alternate practice with some disadvantages and no special advantages as compared with the above, would be for the stock during the handling period to be stored in a wet cooler. The present principle of licensing wholesalers appears to be for the collection of revenue only. There is no reason why the wholesale fish business should not be put upon the basis of other lines of food, a condition for license being, equip¬ ment for and maintainance of improved handling of stocks with minimum recognized standards of sanitation. It might further be required of a wholesaler applying for license that he contract to accept only fish properly chilled on boats. Complaints are made by the wholesalers who have operated for several years, that many troubles of the industry are due to newly established concerns with a wholesale license but with insufficient capital, equipment or experience to build and maintain a business. A particular complaint is that these concerns can be beaten down by buyers with false statements of market conditions with the result that they sell at prices below those generally prevailing. With no cost systems, many of these concerns soon exhaust their limited capital and close up, but meantime business is taken from the established houses who might have handled the stock at a reasonable profit. Other reports ( 18 ) state that as a result of insufficient capital and lack of profit at the price of sales, the inexperienced concern cuts the quality of stocks with the result that consumers condemn all seafood for considerable periods. The issuing of licenses on principles other than for rev¬ enue purposes only should reduce trade disturbances such as the above. The general sanitary conditions in some wholesale houses is unfavorable. There is no reason why reasonable sani¬ tary standards should not be established and maintainance required by health authorities. It is understood that under present conditions, health officers have no general jurisdiction over conditions at fish houses. Based on the experience with oystermen, health officials can be given jurisdiction over fish houses by rubber stamping the license with the words "State Board of Health regulations must be complied with". THE TRUCKER The physical problems of truck distribution are discussed in a later section of this paper. The immediate consider¬ ation of this phase of the industry is that of business methods and practice. The fish trucker may be considered as a man trucking fish for purposes other than transportation only. Business methods and detail vary from the responsible operator with good equipment and established business to the ir¬ responsible fly-by-night who operates on limited capital and no business scruples, cheating both those from whom ( 19 ) he buys and those to whom he sells. Buying the cheapest stocks and then sometimes not paying for them* he can sell at almost any price and make money for a limited period. Not only does he disrupt the relationship between fisher¬ men and wholesaler, but also between wholesaler and re¬ tailer and consumer. TOiile suoh a trucker naturally has a limited business life* a similar character takes his place after he disappears. This condition continued from year to year doubtless has produced much injury to the business. The responsible trucker has probably opened up new outlets for fish. Apparently most fish trucked out of Florida go to states immediately north. From the information available, it appears as if consumption of Florida fish in this territory has materially decreased during the period of trucking activity but whether the two possible facts are related cannot be stated with any assurance. In one instance, a trucker unable to dispose of his load stated that his ordinary trade had spent all available cash for watermelons and he could not sell half his load at any price. It is more than possible that some decrease in fish consumption during recent years in the south¬ eastern states is due to economic conditions rather than to changes in methods of distribution. That the trucker is not the only cut-throat (contrary to the claim of many wholesalers) is evidenced by one case noted "where a wholesaler sold a trucker a load of fish, then loaded one of his own trucks with similar stock and covered the trucker's route at prices below which the ( 20 ) trucker could afford to soil. PACKING AND TRANSPORTATION OF FISIl A high percentage of Florida fish (exolusive of bulk ship¬ ments) is packed in barrels. The standard barrel carries 200 lbs. of stock with about 100 lbs. of ice. New barrels are generally used. No other section of the country is known where the barrel package formerly in general use has not been replaced by boxes for nearly all shipments. Furthermore, the Florida practice is to lay fish on their sides (because it is the easier way) rather than backs up. This subjects the stock to the greatest possible bruising. Stock in the lower part of the barrel is subjected to a weight of over 200 lbs. which applied by sharp lumps of ice is bound to crush through the abdomen of the fish. Even if the skin is not broken, crushed and distorted internal structure of the fish hastens decomposition. The distance between Florida and many of the consuming markets should warrant the most careful packing, but the fact is that in the face of this handicap, the obsolete barrel packing continues generally. One progressive concern is shipping a certain proportion of its stock in boxes and a few are used by other shippers. The barrel packing is doubtless responsible for some of the inland complaints against Florida fish. At the present time, a practice too common with many wholesale shippers is to see how many barrels per hour can be packed, little or no con¬ sideration being given to the quality of the stock delivered to the consumer. ( 21 ) In contrast to Florida packing, attention is called to practice around the Great Lakes where the flat shipping box is in almost universal use. Fish are packed backs up to a depth seldom over 8 inohes, with fine ice in bottom, top and scattered through stock. As far as known, no lake fish have been reported as crushed or bruised when received at consumers points. In territory supplied by both the Lakes and Florida, the comparative appearance of the Southern stocks is sometimes unfavorable! the Florida stock may sell at a disadvantage due strictly to antiquated handling niethods with inexcusably low returns to the Florida industry. The cost of the 100 lb. box is approximately l/l2 ^ per lb. of fish more than the barrel. The cost of packing fish backs up in boxes instead of shovelling or throwing them into barrels cannot be estimated, but should not be excess¬ ive. It is believed that the total additional cost of this improved packing would be more than offset by advance in sales price. Consideration should be given to the ratio of net weight of stock to the gross volume of load. This is of special importance in trucking. It is believed that packing in boxes rather than in barrels allows over one third greater net weight of stock in a given gross space. The type of box in limited use in Florida is superior to that generally found in the North since it is provided with wire reinforcements that also serves for hinging and clamping the cover. The wholesaler receives the box assembled but flat. Folding into form for use is easily and quickly done. The box is non-returnable insuring a clean package, and the hinged top allows re-icing to be ( 22 ) made quickly and easily- The clean new box provides an excellent opportunity for advertising. The wholesalers' principal objection to the box paokage is that it is not as easily handled as tho barrel. It is claimod that one man can handle a barrol holding 200 lbs. of fish while two men are roquired for a 100 lb. box. This might have some substance in fact if no consideration is given to tho modern box truck which would allow one man to handle at least 2 boxes. There is some demand in retail, stores for a 50 lb. box of fish. There is nothing to prevent the use of such a package; the increased cost over the 100 lb. box is about l/l2^ per pound of fish. The bulk shipment of fish is generally less favorable than barrel shipments when quality of delivered stock is considered. Practice varies from dumping fish upon coarse ice in which it is torn, bruised and crushed to a method producing less damage, where the fish are laid in the ice in regular rows at an angle of I4.5 dogrees from the horizontal, heads being uppermost and towards the ends of the car or truck. Any ice in contact with tho packaged fish should be crushed to a size that will allow a ball to be formed in the hand. This costs a trifle more than coarse ice but is an almost positive assurance against ice-bruised fish. Tho hand ice chipper should be used only in emergency since the product always contains large sharp chunks. Transportation of fish by carlot freight and by express appears to be as satisfactory as present packages alloxT; - ( 23 ) The pounding of rail shipments in barrels doubtless increases injury to stock in the bottom of the barrel, but this damage can be charged only to the wholesaler and his methods of packing. Steamer shipments are reported to arrive in better condition than rail shipments due undoubtedly to less injurious vi¬ brations. A transportation method developed in the past ten years is the auto truck. Considered solely from the viewpoint of transportation, the truck provides speed and flexibility of stock movements often superior to other transportation methods, especially for short and moderate hauls. Not only can the truck pick up stocks at inaccess¬ ible points but it can likewise provide speedy delivery to consumer markets off lines of public onrriers. It has in this way extended fish consumption to camps and communities which before had only limited facilities for procuring sea¬ food. Apart from business considerations, the objections to most trucks are related to packing methods. The damage to fish due to bulk and barrel shipments by rail applies also to trucks; it is possible that damages from vibration are worse since rails will be in better average condition than highways. It is known that icing on trucks is sometime deficient and that the proportion of stocks condemned by health officials is higher for truck shipments than for rail or boat ship¬ ments. It is not unreasonable to suppose that the propor¬ tion of stale but edible stocks from trucks is proportion¬ ately high. This condition is doubtless influenced to some extent by the fact that some truck loads of fish are made ( 2k ) up from shore stocks which are otherwise unsalable., RETAIL DISTRIBUTION Limitations of the survey propor provented any statistical report on the retail problom but many observations have been made of retail outlots throughout Florida; since possibly QO/o of the fish produced must pass through these stores if the industry is to continuo operations, the importance of the retail business cannot be overemphasized. The quality of retail outlets varies from those which might be classed as almost perfect to those that are vile. One wonders how any fish can be moved under conditions such as noted in one city during the summer of 1935* Except for one chain store that kept a can of red snapper fillets behind meat stocks, it was impossible to buy fish anywhere near the center of the city under surroundings that approached clean¬ liness. The one exclusive fish market, had at all times a stench that was apparent within a hundred feet. The store was dark and the effect of any original painting had been lost. Fish which may have been of excellent quality, were in covered cases and fairly xvell iced, but quality of stock was blanketed by the fish-smeared overalls of the manager and the flies buzzing around foul fish barrels upon the sidewalk. Fish was handlod as a side line by one other stone which had nothing to attract trade. Contacts made with several householders revealed that none of them bought fish since they stated that there was no clean store selling it. Conditions had somewhat improvod in November 1935# when a new chain store operating tinder attractive conditions, was displaying a good line of fish in a v/ell iced covered case. { 25 ) The principal criticism of the average seafood market noted is the general lack of anything to attract the trade. While competitive business seek to initiate contact with the consumer, the attitude of most fish dealers is extreme¬ ly indifferent. Apparently they assume that people must buy their stocks. This assumption is believed to be false, and may account for the apparent decrease in volume of stocks moved by the industry in general. It should be noted that the apparent indifference of the ordinary fish retailer to his potential trade is matched by similar indifference of most of the wholesale shippers to the retail outlets. The statement of one of the largest whole¬ salers that "he was not concerned with the fish after it cleared his place and he got his money" is in sharp contrast to the persistant and extensive sales efforts of meat packers to not only contact and educate the retailers, but carry on extensive advertising campaigns to contact the domestic consumers. When comparison is made between meat packers and fish produc¬ ers in their relationships to the retail trade outlets, con¬ sideration must bo given to the fact that a very high percent¬ age of the meat industry is controlled by a very few producers while production (wholesale-shipper-salos) of fish is scat¬ tered through thousands of concerns, none of which turn out more than a minor fraction of the stock. The typical fish wholesaler is trying to do a national business on village principles. Associations of producers have been formed re¬ peatedly,but their accomplishments have been limited. ( 26 ) The above conditions are not peculiar to Florida, but exist in varying degree throughout the world. In somo instancos, progressive governments havo rooognited tho situation and havo taken steps to moot tho sales rosistanco peculiar to the industry. During the past fov; years, tho Government organi¬ zation of tho businoss in parts of Canada has boon of material aid in building business, especially by developing quality products. Germany has a unique aid to industry in the form of Government owned trucks which travel through the country displaying and selling fish of high quality while demonstrators and lecturers tell various groups, including school children, of the health value of seafood. The demonstrator-sales truck is constantly replenished with high grade stock and the profit from sales is reported to pay the cost of operation. One can only conjecture what the advertising value of such a program would be to the Florida fisheries especially during the tourist season. Organizations of such demonstration work in Florida requires initiative and capital. At the present time, the only practical source of either is the State Government, One might reason that sales from a unit such as suggested would blanket sales by established local businesses. It is possible that some of the latter would be depressed and even put out of business with benefit to both the industry and community but from observations of somewhat similar conditions, the consumer purchase stimulus resulting from such a demonstration would be very favorably reflected in high class markets. It might result in the establishment of at least one first class sea¬ food market in every one of Florida's largest cities, a con¬ dition non-existant at present. ( 27 ) Bureau of Fisheries memorandum "Retailing of Fish" available without cost, describes the best retailing practices observed in seafood markets including many featuros of salos appeal, including window displays. Many retailors have stated that one of thoir handicaps in development of business vms the lack of fundamental knowledge of fish cookery in the homo. At the requost of many progressive dealers and to assist thorn in over¬ coming this trade resistance, the Bureau of Fishories has pre¬ pared a low cost publication, "Practical Fish Cookery", which may be purchased from the Superintendent of Documents, Govern¬ ment Printing Office, Yfoshiagton D. C. In this publication there is provided plenty of space which the dealer may use for advertising. The present licensing of seafood markets appears to exist for revenue purposes only. What has been said on this subject under wholesalers, may be applied in principle to retailers. Certain minimum sanitary standards might be required before license to carry on the business is granted] it is believed that local health officers would cooperate fully in seeing that standards were maintained after once being installed. As an example of the slack conditions permitted around sea¬ food markets, attention may be called to several cities ( not in Florida ) where local laws require that retailed meat must be wrapped in clean butcher paper ( or equal ). However, local authorities rule that fish is not meat; the result is that fish is wrapped in newspaper of unknown history while the land meat which is much more resistant to spoilage is wrapped in clean fresh paper. In a few cities, a similar condition exists concerning the display of foods in retail stores. The lav/ says that meat must bo displayed under glass ( 28 ) but fish ( tho outlaw ) may bo kopt in tho open ivhoro the flies add to its attraotivonoss. The opinion is advanood that tho rotail sale of fish should receive serious attention from both conservation and health authorities as well as from producers. Improvement in re¬ tailing should promote health and increase consumption. THE WHOLESALE CONSUMER Under this heading may be included tho public eating places, institutions, camps, etc. where food is bought for resale or distribution in a cooked form; this important item was ext. eluded from the survey proper. A characteristic of wholesale consumer purchase is that the buyer is at least of a semi-professional type, with some knowl¬ edge of actual quality of products and of where preferred stocks may be obtained. These qualities appear in the con¬ sumption of seafood in tho fact that not infrequently the fish served in a public eating house are from stocks superior to those available to domestic consumers in the same city; the refrigeration of perishables in the restaurant or cafe is generally better than in the average home. It is believed also that the average cooking of seafood in the public eating place is superior to the average domestic cooking. Then again the patron of the public eating place does not have the problem of cleaning fish, \7hich should not exist in the home but is often required there as a result of the indifforence of many retailers. The change in social conditions during tho past generation may ( 29 ) influence the division of seafood consumption between the whole¬ sale and domestic outlets. During this period there has been a great increase in the employment of women outside the home, together with the decrease in time which the average home- maker spends in the kitchen. In many apartment houses, the kitchen has shrunk to the dimensions of a large closet with corresponding reductions in cooking operations. These changes promote the use of canned or other easily prepared foods. They are believed to have no small influence in the apparent transfer of a proportion of seafood consumption from the home to the public eating place. The above combination of conditions has resulted in what appears to be a steady increase in the movement of seafood stocks through the wholesale consumer although total sales of the industry are apparently decreasing. While the movement of seafood through the public eating house is apparently increasing, the prices charged for the food appear in many places to be too high. Some managers have admitted that they tried to increase the sale of seafood since their profits were double those of corresponding land-meat orders and as their business was growing, they could see no reason for reduction of prices. This is a desirable condition for the eating place but is of limited benefit to the seafood industry. There is a great need for popular priced outlets for Florida fish such as those now existing for products of northern fisheries. Three types of such businesses may serve to illus¬ trate the principle. In one midwestern city, nearly 2,000,000 lbs. of a northern fish are consumed annually through " fish frys " where 15 cents buys over one third pound of perfectly ( 30 ) cooked fish, with a sauce, a cup full of potato salad and two slices of bread. In another oity there is a substantial business in a 5 cent fish sandwich, sold in lunch rooms connected with seafood markets. The fish is all of good quality, cut into slices from odd shapes from slicing large fish. A round fish roll incloses the fish which may be in from one to three pieces. In several northern cities one may find " fish and chip " shops where a fillet of good fish weighing about 1/3 pound is deep fried after being dipped in batter, and sold with potato chips and bread for 20 cents. This type of business approaches the highly organized and extensive "fish and chips " outlets in England where through the serving of good food at popular prices, the consumption of fish per capita just about equals the entire por capita consumption in the United States, including canned, prepared, frozen and fresh fish. Bureau of Fisheries Fishing Circular No. 11 " Some Unusual Markets for Fish and Shellfish " des¬ cribes other businesses similar to the foregoing. As far as known, Florida fish has never appeared in any out¬ let of consequence that may be compared with the above busi¬ nesses. A few roadside eating placos in Florida offer fish sandwiches but the volumo of business is negligible. In the territory to which the lower cost fish of Florida go, there is no known business which can be compared with the northern outlets described. ' If, through progressive action there could be established attractive roadside shops along the lines of tourist travel in Florida where a specialty could be made of seafoods, not ( 31 ) bnly would considerable immediate impotus bo given the in¬ dustry, but the tourist would bo givon a taste for Florida fish that would bo roflooted in purohases after his return homo, A type of combined sales and publicity that as far as known has never been devoloped in Florida is the fish fry at county fairs which occur at successive dates throughout the State. One never visits a carnival or fair ?jithout seeing plenty of people consuming meat products at lunch stands. The outdoor atmosphere induces in many people an appetite for fish, but this food is not available on the grounds. In certain soctions of the country, a seafood dinner is a feature at outdoor gatherings. For serving largo numbers of people, professional chefs ship the cooking equipment re¬ quired to the gathering place and have charge of operations. It is reported that on certain "farmer's picnics " held in Ohio, a carload of fish may be consumed on the spot or carried to the home. Local or private parties of this nature are not uncommon in Florida, but apparently no effort has boen made to develop this potential outlet for fish stocks. THE DOMESTIC CONSUMER Although consideration of all consumers was excluded from the survey, some observations related to domestic consumption have been made that may serve to round out a basis for general judge¬ ment of the present conditions in the industry. The homemakers are the source of 80% of the income of the sea¬ food producers but as far as known, only one Florida operator has given any evidence of recognizing this fact. It is true ( 32 ) that certain agencies of the State Government have issuod plac¬ ards and leaflets urging people to " eat more Florida seafood " but the producers have failod to follow up this limited effort by placing on the markot, stocks which when delivered to the home arc of a quality high enough to induco the homomaker to follow the advico of the State agencies. A striking fact developed by many inquiries is that not one Florida fisherman has been found who will eat his own fish which is sold in the markets, yet he expects other people to support him by buying food that he will not eat. Unless this condition is corrected, there can be only limited advances in the production of Florida seafood and a further decrease would not be improbable. Many homomakors are taking the fisherman's attitudo toward his product, and will continue to do so until improved stocks are available. Contact xvith the trade and with consumers reveals that there are two distinctly different classes of domestic buyers which for convenience may be designated as quality consumers and quani&iy consumers. Representatives of each class will be found in nearly every community. The quality consumer, as might be implied, shops for food of as good a grade as can be found at a price within the means available. If one type of food is desired but no offerings are available, other food is purchased. Such a buyer naturally trades with a retailer where the premises, personnel and service are comparable with the food sought. One can hardly imagine such a buyer dealing with the average fish market found in Florida, even if she found the stocks offered were of uniformly high quality. The average quality buyer has sufficient funds for the purchase of good food but personal ( 33 ) contacts with many such people in certain cities of Florida re¬ veal that they will not buy seafood as sold at present, or if occasional purchases are mode, the food is seldom of a quality that induces repeated purchases. In some localities, intell¬ igent seafood retailers who will not accept any stock other than the best, and who see that their consumer trade is similar¬ ly served, enjoy a steady patronage from homemakers who have money to purchase quality foods. The opinion is advanced that there is a very great unsaturated local demand for Florida sea¬ food of high quality. It is believed that general business conditions have limited effect on seafood purchases by quality buyers. The socalled quantirlyconsumer represents a problem entirely different from the former class. Many people of limited means but active appetites while not unmindful of the better grades of food sold under modern conditions are, or have to be satis¬ fied with poor and mediocre purchases. Homemakers of this class will buy seafood from almost any market or from peddlers. If they have money, they will buy rather heavily as they are gen¬ erally people whose physical activities require more than the average quantity of protein. In " boom " times, their purchases bring prosperity to the fish industry but in times of depres¬ sion, these people often have only limited means and their pur¬ chases sink to a low level. It should be considered in this connection, that with many of those people idle or employed only part time, the home demand for fish is supplied by one of the family from a neighboring lake, canal or other water- The limited allowance for protoin food goes for the purchase of land moat. (ik) It is recognized as a fact among the fish producers of Florida that active sales of the lower priced fish is coincident with harvest time in States immediately north. The southern laborer out of xvork gets his fish from nearby waters instead of buy¬ ing Florida fish. It may be seen from comparison of the above divisions of domes¬ tic consumers and the quality of many Florida fish, that the producers have apparently given little consideration to the more stable and profitable quality trade, allowing the business to center on the quantity trade which in times of depression such as the past fow years, lacks monejr to buy food fish. ( 35 ) RECOMMENDATIONS In view of the fact that the Survey covers conditions in the industry only through wholesale distribution, means should be provided for obtaining information oonoerning oonditions in retail distribution and wholesale and domestic caisumption. It is possible that work of this nature could be carried on in the vicinity of colleges as a feature of economic courses. This would give sampling in several cities, and would at least show trends in the line of distribution not covered by the survey. Available information indicates that 9^ of Florida wet fish are consumed within 12 days aftor leaving the shore. Prelim¬ inary investigation of the ton principal species indicates that if fish are properly iced immediately after removal from the nets, and stored in ice, deterioration is retarded to such an extent that the softest species left in the round are of nearly sea-fresh flavor and general appearance aftor storage for two weeks, and at the end of three weeks compare favorably with many of the same species now in the markets. It is recom¬ mended that this investigation be continued so as to secure indisputable facts since there is a promise of a decided im¬ provement in quality of commercial stocks. This improved method of handling fish may materially help in smoothing out the trado disturbances now encountered by the occurance of gluts. The Survey has disclosed that fish are iced upon relatively few boats. A thorough study should be made of insulated iced cargo compartments and their use by a practical and intelligent fish¬ erman with mechanical ability and appreciation of the necessity for improving stocks. Duo to the great variation in boat and ( 36 ) vossol construction and operation, this would be work of considerable extent. Observation has shown that sanitary conditions and the han¬ dling of fish in some wholesale establishments are in need of extensive improvements. A study should be made to develop a basis for the correction of such existing conditions as are undesirable. The feasibility of grading Florida seafood for both size and quality should be considered. Fish is our only important food where grading is virtually unknown. Adoption of grading in other food industries has resulted in benefit to practically everyone since grading tends to raise average quality and to eliminate waste; as in other food industries, grading, if adopted, should be under governmental control and supported by ibeSs collected from the industry. A study should be made of the movement of fish from the net to the consumer. This should include observations of stock as handled on fish boats with the prices paid the fisherman; handling at the shipping house, and price at which stock is sold; conditions of transportation to inland wholesaler, his selling price and conditions of reshipment to retailer; trans¬ portation to the retailer with costs; conditions at the retail store and prices charged domestic consumers; condition of fish at the house and the homemakers' reaction to the industry. The above work should be duplicated ( preferably at the same time ) by stock iced in fish boats and handled by the most approved methods including box shipments. The foregoing work would be modified, as when fish is shipped from shore ( 37 ) ivholesaler to retailer or wholesale consumer; from inland wholesaler to wholesale consumer; truck, rail, and boat ship¬ ments, etc. Possibly sharks are the groatost deterrent to expansion of the fish industry of Florida and a cause of present high losses to fishermen. While these creatures often abound off the coast and are sometimes present in such numbers as to make fishing prohibitive, apparently no commercial shark fishery in Florida waters has ever been operated at a profit due to the erratic movements of these fish. It is believed that persistent fish¬ ing will drive them from any locality. Serious consideration might be given to the feasibility of establishing as a conser¬ vation measure a mobile State operated shark fishery which would be supported to a considerable extent by the sale of products. The present market value of these products would be materially increased if shark liver oil or the oil from the livers of certain species of sharks can be shown to have medicinal or feeding value; this is not an unreasonable possi¬ bility. An educational service for commercial fishermen might be of value if properly organized and operated. Paper work would be of little value unless the simplest language was used and then as a supplement to talks ( not lectures ). A properly trained man with actual commercial fishing experience could raise the standard of the commercial fishermens' operations by group talks during the slack season. A seafood Industrial Bureau added to the State Conservation Department could render valuable aid to the Industry. This ( 38 ) sot-up might be headed by placing in charge a man of the widest possiblo scientific and commercial oxperionoe in the seafood industry. Other workers would include a biologist responsible for the study of seafood life in its various phases, a tech¬ nologist to assist the trade in the handling of stocks from the time of oapture to when they leave the shore, a market special¬ ist to personally contact consuming markets ( no direct selling ) and a publicity agent who would collect, interpret and distribute market reports and other information of value to the industry. This Bureau might supply assistance and supervision for special Conservation Department investigations associated with the sea¬ food industry. For effective advertising purposes, it is recommended that con¬ sideration be given to the operation of one or more sales-demon¬ stration trucks after the German practice. It would probably bo practical to oporato these only from October 1st. to May 1st. The principlo of a fixed price to fishermen during one season for fish of a given species irrespective of size, quality or market demands, appears to be detrimental to the industry in general. It is recommended that consideration be given to tho principle of paying fishermen for their catch by alloting them a proportionate part of tho wholesalers net receipts. The present principlo of Conservation Department licenses is for the collection of revenue only; in order that standards in the industry may be improved, it is recommended that licenses be issued and retained only when certain conditions of sanita¬ tion and stock handling are complied with. This would eliminate or correct certain objectionable features of the present industry. ( 39 ) Th© Stat© Board, ox Health should bo given full jurisdiction in all phases of tho industry. Many conservation laws are onactod without consulting either scientific or commercial agencies. It is bolioved that good would result from obtaining criticism of proposod laws or changes in existing laws by a committee ( not necessarily assembled ) composed of ono fisherman, one wholesaler, a rep¬ resentative of sport fishermen, ono biologist and one technol¬ ogist. In order to provide additional revenue for the activities outlined, it would not be unreasonable to collect a nominal tax for a salt water sport fishing license. A portion of the revenue from this source could be used for bulletins and in¬ formation service to salt water sport fishermen. A further benefit to sport fishing in salt water would result from prohibition of commercial fishing within a specified distance of bridgos or other stands utilized by sport fishermen. If necessary, additional revenue could bo collected in connection with grading fee A n,, as is now done in the citrus industry.