Economic Research Proposal

The economists on the Shrimp Project met September 3, 2003 to discuss research tasks associated with the “Inventory” component of the project. The proposed division of research responsibilities are summarized as follows:

I. David Barkley 864-656-5797 and Mark Henry 864-656-5774

• Interview all South Carolina shrimp dock owners;
• Conduct mail survey of all licensed South Carolina shrimpers for 2002 and 2003;
• Prepare budgets for shrimp boat operations of different sizes and technologies;
• Interview a sample of individual shrimp boat operators to verify budgets;
• Work with Caron St. John on the marketing and branding program for South Carolina shrimpers.

II. Dan Smith 864-656-3382

• Interview 3-5 processors of shrimp in the Southeast;
• Interview 2-4 food wholesalers in the Southeast;
• Interview the principal local retail outlets for shrimp (e.g., BILO, Winn Dixie, IGA);
• Interview a sample of restaurants where seafood is a principal menu item (e.g., Red Lobster).

III. Mike Hammig 864-656-5771

• Identify examples of U.S. seafood co-op programs and investigate experiences of these co-ops regarding value-added enhancement efforts;
• Determine size requirements for a shrimp processing facility pertaining to efficient heading, scaling, and freezing technologies;
• Investigate government programs available to assist in the starting and operating of a seafood co-op.
• Please contact us if you wish to make suggestions or changes in the above proposed plan of work.