Acknowledgments

1
Ethnic Live Seafood Markets in the Northeast
Region
- Consumer Analysis - Business Network Development
JOSEPH J. MYERS BIN LIU YUMIN YOU RAMU
GOVINDASAMY JOHN EWART LINDA J. ODIERNO
NEW JERSEY Department of Agriculture
National Association of State Aquaculture
Coordinators
Fish Seafood Program Trenton, NJ USA
May 15, 2007 Orange Beach, Alabama USA
2
Acknowledgments

• Rutgers State University of New Jersey
• University of Delaware Sea Grant
• US Department of Agriculture
• Federal State Market Improvement Program
• 12-25-G-0460

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Background

• Live foodfish sales
• Less post-harvest investment
• Premium
• Current Market Saturated
• Cultural Barriers
• Lacking Market Intelligence
• Stimulate Entire Market Chain
• Quantity, Sales, Variety

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Scope

• Live Fish Markets
• Boston Metro
• New York Metro
• Philadelphia Region
• Baltimore/D.C./Virginia
• ALL POINTS IN BETWEEN
• Toronto, CANADA

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Live Fish Market

• Which are INCLUDED
• Seafood Markets featuring live products
• Finfish and bivalves
• Cater to Ethnic Communities
• Certain Upscale Restaurants

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Live Fish Market

• Which are EXCLUDED
• Supermarkets with only lobster tanks
• Fresh/frozen only seafood markets
• Raw Bars
• Bait Shops
• Pet Stores

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Components of Study

• Consumer Market Research
• Analytical
• Business Network Development
• Promotional
• Live Market Directory
• Producer/Buyer Directory

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Live Market Contacts

• Live Market Compilation
• Yellow Pages
• Internet Listings
• Ethnic Newspapers
• MIT Project
• Industry Contacts

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Market Survey

• Deliver Survey in Person
• Follow-up with Mail
• We Asked Them.
• Popular Varieties
• Volume and Supplier Base
• Seasonality
• Customer Base
• Participation in Directory

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Market Survey

• We Identified
• Food Markets 128
• Restaurants 65
• February through August 2006
• Response Rate
• Food Markets 26.6
• Restaurants 9.2

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Market Survey
How many vendors do you have?
of markets
of vendors
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Market Survey
How often do you receive live fish deliveries?
of markets
frequency of deliveries
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Market Survey
Importance of various attributes ()
Very Important Somewhat Important Not Important
Price 79 18 3
Location 24 41 35
Availability 65 21 15
Language 15 47 38
Freshness 97 3 0
Origin 45 30 24
Quality 94 3 3
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Market Survey
Relative Strength
Month
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Market Survey
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Market Survey
Importance live fish section to the store
of markets
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Market Survey
Future Plans for Live Fish Section (next 2 yrs)
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Consumer Survey

• In-Store Intercept Surveys
• Purchase Preferences
• Buying Habits
• Demographics

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Consumer Survey

• 5 Live Fish Markets
• Largest Volumes from Market Survey
• 2 NY, 2 NJ, 1 PA
• 50 Surveys in Each Market
• 2 Interviewers
• Bilingual English-Mandarin
• Conducted Friday PM-Saturday AM
• 10-15 min
• Each Participant Received 10 Coupon
• Count Units Entering Store/Buying Live Fish

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Consumer Survey
Live Market Consumer Profile
Parameter Average
Visits per Month 6.2 visits
Expenditure per Visit On Live Seafood 14.80
Distance Travel to Live Seafood Market 7.8 miles
Household Size 3.7 people
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Consumer Survey
Demographics

• Female (57)
• Chinese (79)
• 36-50 age range (44)
• 21-35 age range (42)
• High school (27) or Post-graduate degree (35)
• Employed full-time (66)
• Earn under 25,000 annually (34)
• English is NOT the primary language (82).
• Chinese (82) or some other language (5)
• Suburban households (55)
• Three (30) or four (25) family members

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Consumer Survey
Purchase by Day of the Week
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Consumer Survey
Purchase by Month
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Consumer Survey
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Consumer Survey
Reasons Why Consumers Buy Live Fish
Frequency Percent
Quality/Freshness Quality/Freshness 195 78
Quality/Healthier Quality/Healthier 29 23
Use all of the fish, no waste Use all of the fish, no waste 4 2
Tradition Tradition 58 12
Others Taste 11 4
Others Like 4 2
Others Other 4 2
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Consumer Survey
Types of Live Seafood Preferred by Consumers
Types of Live Seafood Frequency Percent
Tilapia  188 75
Hybrid striped bass 116 46
Buffalo 46 18
Carp 29 12
Eel  16 6
clam/oyster/mussel 25 10
crab/lobster 71 28
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Consumer Survey
Consumer Perceptions and Preferences of Live
Seafood
 Attribute Very Important Somewhat Important Not Important
Year-round availability  46  15  39
Place of origin  14  14  72
Local product  8  8  84
Knowing name of farm/dock  3  3  94
In-store recipes  2  8  90
Price  38  30  33
Knowing time since harvest  23  16  61
Tradition  8  13  79
Physical appearance  79  9  12
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Consumer Survey
Consumer Perceptions and Preferences of Live
Seafood
Preferences Preferences Preferences Preferences No Preference
Attribute Percent Counter Attribute Percent Percent
From USA 16 Imported 6 78
Wild 36 Farmed 12 52
Smaller fish 29 Larger fish 25 47
Scaled fish 53 Fish with no scales 13 33
Dark flesh 12 White flesh 40 48
Clean water in tank 22 All fish live in tank 21 57
Bubbles in tank 18 Flowing water 40 42
Shellfish in water 44 Shellfish on ice 26 29
Whole fish 12 Gutted/filleted fish 80 8
Live fish 9 Stunned fish 60 31
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Live Market Directory

• All willingly participating live markets in
  Northeast
• Multilingual Cover
• 18 languages
• Trilingual Introduction
• English, Mandarin, Spanish

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Buyer/Producer Directory

• Link Wholesale Buyers..
• Market Operators
• Live Haulers
• and Sellers
• Aquaculturists
• Commercial Fishermen

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Deliverables

• Web Directories
• Currently On-Line
• Able to keep information current
• Print Directories
• Deliver through Ethnic community groups
• Distribute through listings and producer
  communities

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Contact Information

• New Jersey Department of Agriculture
• Fish Seafood Program
• PO Box 330
• Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0330 USA
• [phone], [phone] FAX
• joseph.myers_at_ag.state.nj.us
• www.jerseyseafood.nj.gov