Price Spreads and Cost Analyses for Finfish and Shellfish Products at Different Marketing Levels (Revised)

Price data of this study cover the period 1950-71 for finfish and 1959-71 for shellfish when prices at all levels were available. The report does not include the prices later than 1971 because prices at the processor's level of different fish products have not been published since then. As a result of an unparalleled pattern of price variations developed in 1972 and the early part of 1973 (for prices available at levels other than the processor's), price relationships among various marketing levels tend to reflect a perspective somewhat deviate from that projected in the present study. The deviationis particularly noticeable in the price relationshop with the ex-vessel level where prices were not frozen while those at other levels were during Phase II of price controls. Before the price freeze in August 1971, meat price increase outpaced fish prices for the first time in a long interval because of shortages of meat supply. These prices were frozen at the same high level in 1972. After the relaxation of price control in early 1973, meat prices went up further at a galloping pace. A price ceiling was imposed on meat products shortly afterward. All these incidences within a short period of time and other proposals in the wind would serve only to create disparities between meat farmer's share and fisherman's share of the consumer's dollar from the trends established in this study. In addition, fish products have a higher percentage of imports than most other major food products. The devaluation of the U.S. dollar twice during the interim period not covered by this study has, therefore, a bullish effect of the prices of fish products, especially at the wholesale and retail levels. Bearing the above qualifications in mind, readers will be able to reconcile the results in this study concluded prior to these changes.