Marshall Martin
Department of Agricultural Economics
Krannert Building
Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN 47907
Phone: (765) 494-4268
martin@agecon.purdue.edu

Objectives: To establish the current marketing status and potential for yellow perch products with wholesale and retail business in the seafood marketing channels in the North Central Region of the United States.

Methodology: A mail survey of all types of Wholesale and retail businesses in the seafood marketing channels in the North Central Region Will be conducted. The survey questionnaire will determine specific market preference for product form, size, quantity, availability, seasonality, and price for yellow perch and will discover the closest competing products to yellow perch, and their market prices. The project investigators will develop the survey instrument, obtain/compile a mailing list, mail the survey, enter the survey data, and analyze the survey data.

Mail surveys typically elicit a 20-30% response rate. Repeated contacts will help increase the response rate. The PI's plan to target firms in major cities or markets (around 100,000 or more population) in the Nod Central Region. The number of firms successfully contacted is expected to be about 3000. The sample will be statistically representative for all regional firms in the seafood marketing channel.

The conceptualization and development of the survey instrument will be the crucial component of the study. Patrick D. O'Rourke at Illinois State University will collaborate in this effort. Input from other marketing researchers will also be sought. Since the basic information on prices, quantities, sizes, availability, etc. are all linked to specific product forms. the questionnaire will be designed to tie together these aspects. The investigators will determine the closest competing seafood products to aquacultured yellow perch and their prices from the seafood marketing firms, the preferred product characteristic (size, supply, form, price. etc.), and classification of the responding firms by various criteria, i.e.. place in the marketing chain (especially wholesale or retail), size, volume of seafood business, geographic location, etc.