The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1955-08-26
STATE AGENCIES
GET FISH FROM
VIRGINIA SOURCES
North Carolina Seafood Dealers
Don't Supply Tables Of
Our Institutions.

Raleigh.-An analysis of the
needs of the various state institu-
tons and colleges with respect to
fish and other products of the sea
for their tables was issued here
today by Director Ben E. Douglas
of the State Department of Con-
servation and Development.
The analysis was made by the
Department for the benefit of the
commercial fishermen and whole
sale distributors and professors of
fisheries products in an effort to
open up for them a market which
has not thus far been thoroughly
explored, Douglas said.
The analysis, said Douglas, is in
line with the program of Governor
Luther H. Hodges for developing
markets for North Carolina fisher
les products, and to bring closer
together the North Carolina fisher
men and their potential customers.
Governor Hodges recently pointed
out that at one large military
establishment in North Carolina
great quantities of the products of
the sea are purchased for the
tables of the servicemen but not
single such product is bought in
North Carolina. A somewhat SINH
lar situation exists at some of the
institutions and colleges it was
shown by the survey made by the
Department of Conservation and
Development.
Douglas said he was furnishing
copies of the complete survey to
wholesale dealers and professors
in North Carolina. The survey lists
thirty-two state institutions and
colleges and details their present
methods of buying products of the
sea, and to what extent they buy
each product.
One of the facts of great interest
to the commercial fishing industry
was the source of supply for these
Institutions and colleges. Five of
the groups buy exclusively from
Virginia sources, and several of
them buy locally from fish dealers
who rely on Virginia sources,
Douglas added. Very few of the
groups had direct contacts with the
wholesalers and professors on the
North Carolina coast, for it was
indicated that only nine bought in
wholesale quantities directly from
coastal dealers. With only four
exceptions, all of those questioned
said they would be delighted to
have an established source of
supply and have their seafood
brought directly from the whole
salers and professors on the coast
of North Carolina. Those who
signified they did not care for a
coastal contact in every case
pointed out that their orders were
too small.
The survey reveals some inter
esting facts concerning the use of
fish products on the tables of the
various institutions and colleges,
Douglas said. For instance, every
one contacted serves fish at least
once or twice a week but sixteen
out of the thirty-two never serve
oysters. 1t is also shown that
eighteen never serve shrimp, al
though the shrimp of North Caro-
lima waters is reputed to be the
finest quality obtainable anywhere.
A fact which should be of ire
mendous interest to the fishermen,
in view of the rapid advance in the
taking of crabs in North Carolina
waters, is that only four of the
groups approached served crabs
in any form. This indicated a
very fine potential market for the
crabbers of the State, Douglas
thinks. Only eleven reported that
they served escallops.
Indicative of the interest in the
recently developed fish stick is the
fact that eleven institutions re-
ported they served fish sticks
regularly. A fish stick is a solid
piece of fish without any bones,
cut in chunks of one to two pounds
and it comes from the large fish
of the North Atlantic waters.
Fourteen of the institutions and
colleges said they served oyster
stew, and practically all of them
expressed an interest in serving
stew and clam chowder if the
price could be brought down.
/ In giving out the information,
Douglas said that since all of those
contacted are State-supported it
would be logical for them to aid
in the development of the State
by buying North Carolina prod
ucts. He was delighted, he said,
| al - x>xro aAsnol 1xy