NOAA 94-

Contact: Gordon Helm FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(301) 713-2370 12/9/94

FISHING INDUSTRY TO RECEIVE GOVERNMENT REPORTS

THROUGH NEW, HIGH-TECH "FAX-ON-DEMAND" SERVICE

The National Marine Fisheries Service will begin a Fax-On-Demand service Jan. 4, 1995, to provide the public with reports on fishing and seafood industry market conditions within minutes of issuance, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced today.

"For nearly 60 years we've used the mail," said Mark Holliday, chief of the NMFS Fisheries Statistics Division. "This new, electronic service will give industry officials quicker access to price and market data collected by the agency."

The fishing industry considers the report service to be one of the few unbiased and accurate measures of economic conditions in the marketplace. Until now, users have relied on mailings of the NMFS Fishery Market News Reports. With the new service, a fisherman can access the most current reports from his fishing trawler at sea to receive information he can use to calculate the best time to bring his catch to market.

To use the new electronic service, call from a fax machine telephone to the fisheries service fax server at (301) 713-1415, request mailbox 200, and select item 1. The latest reports will be listed there.

Some of the offerings include: Daily Fulton Fish Market Prices, Daily New England Auction Results, Weekly New York Frozen Prices, Weekly New England Cold Storage, Weekly New England Auction Summary, Weekly Gulf Coast Shrimp Landings and Exvessel Prices, Weekly Fish Meal & Oil Prices, Weekly Canned Salmon Wholesale Prices, Weekly Mexican Shrimp Imports Through Southern California & Arizona, Weekly Tuna Import Quota Update, Monthly National Cold Storage, and Quarterly Fish Meal & Oil Production Report.

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