The distribution of processed fish through food brokers and supermarkets adds a mark-up to the price of fish , so the consumer pays far more for the fish than the processing plant receives. Bypassing these middle-men avoids such markups, allows direct sales of fish to the consumer to be profitable, and provides the consumer with a less expensive product, especially if the consumer will dress their own fish. Selling directly to the public is a way to add value to the fish produced. However, it also means that the fish producer must assume all of the work an risks involved in marketing. Another factor in favor of direct sales is the freshness of the product.
Fish are notorious for spoilage, and consumers are wary of products on ice or frozen.
A third factor is that the fish fry is a social institution in Arkansas and many southern states. Families, churches, businesses, social organizations and political organizations all hold fish fries. A local producer can supply the desired fish. In the early days of the catfish industry, direct retail sales of live catfish were common and were critical to the success of a number of new operations. As the industry grew, farms expanded in acreage and moved to selling the fish to processors and live haulers, where 10,000-20,000 pound truckloads of fish could be sold at one time.