Catfish Processing - Release

Catfish
Processing
Washington, D.C.

Released July 19, 2010, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For
information on Catfish Processing call Chris Hawthorn at (202) 720-0585, office hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET.

Catfish Processing Down 2 Percent from Last Year

Farm-raised catfish processed during June 2010 totaled 38.6 million pounds round weight, down 2 percent from
June 2009. The average price paid to producers was 78.9 cents per pound for June 2010, down 0.7 cent from last
month but 2.6 cents above a year ago.

Net pounds of processed fish sold during June 2010 totaled 19.9 million pounds, up 5 percent from the
comparable month in 2009. Sales of fresh fish, at 6.75 million pounds, were down 3 percent from June 2009 and
represented 34 percent of total sales. Frozen fish sales, at 13.2 million pounds, were up 9 percent from a year ago
and accounted for the remaining 66 percent of total fish sales. Sales of whole fish represented 18 percent of the
total fish sold, fillets accounted for 59 percent, and the remaining 23 percent were mostly steaks, nuggets, and
value added products. The total end of the month inventory increased 3 percent from last month and was up
5 percent from a year ago.

The total fresh and frozen average price for June 2010 was $2.43, down 8 cents from a year ago. The average
price received by processors for total fresh fish was $2.44 per pound, down 3 cents from last year. Prices for
fresh whole fish were $1.58 per pound, down 6 cents from June 2009. Prices for fresh fillets were up 5 cents from
a year ago at $3.27 per pound. Total frozen fish averaged $2.43 per pound, down 10 cents from June 2009.
Prices for frozen whole dressed fish were unchanged at $2.19 and frozen fillets at $2.95 per pound were up
4 cents from a year ago.

Freshwater imports for consumption of Ictalurus spp., Pangasius spp., and other catfish of the order Siluriformes
for May 2010 totaled 9.97 million pounds, down 14 percent from the amount imported in May 2009. Imports
were from Brunei, China, China-Taipei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Spain, Suriname, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The Ictalurus spp. imports totaled 656 thousand pounds, which were from China, Indonesia, Mexico, and
Suriname.

Fresh, boneless catfish fillet exports totaled 47.3 thousand pounds, with all going to Canada. Exports of frozen,
boneless catfish fillets reported for May 2010 totaled 20.5 thousand pounds, going to the Bahamas, the British
Virgin Islands, Canada, the Netherlands, and the Netherlands Antilles.

Import and export data are compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Aq 1 (7-10)

Farm-Raised Catfish: Quantity Processed and Prices
Received by Producers, by Month, United States, 2009-2010
Round Weight Processed
Monthly

Price per Pound 1

Cumulative

Month
2009

2010

Pct of
2009

2009

2010

Pct of
2009

2009

2010

Change
from
2009

1,000 Pounds

1,000 Pounds

Percent

1,000 Pounds

1,000 Pounds

Percent

Dollars

Dollars

Dollars

36,406
37,702
44,912
40,768
39,925
39,370
40,966
39,490
36,408
40,191
36,211
33,751

40,042
40,977
46,650
37,111
38,244
38,601

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
1

110
109
104
91
96
98

36,406
74,108
119,020
159,788
199,713
239,083
280,049
319,539
355,947
396,138
432,349
466,100

40,042
81,019
127,669
164,780
203,024
241,625

110
109
107
103
102
101

0.810
0.770
0.773
0.763
0.762
0.763
0.771
0.769
0.772
0.768
0.765
0.763

0.764
0.765
0.785
0.804
0.796
0.789

-0.046
-0.005
0.012
0.041
0.034
0.026

Quantity processed by major processors and the prices received for fish delivered to the processing plant's door. Price includes charges
for any services provided by the processing plant, such as seining and hauling, but does not include adjustments based on year-end
settlements.

U. S. Catfish Processed

Million Pounds
50

2009

2010

45
40
35
30
Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

U. S. Average Grower Price

Price per Pound
$.90

2009

2010

$.85
$.80
$.75
$.70
Jan

Catfish Processing
July 2010

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

2

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Agricultural Statistics Board
NASS, USDA

Item

1

Fresh Fish
Whole
Round & Gutted
Whole Dressed
Total

Catfish Processors: Sales Volume and Average Price
by Month, United States, 2009-2010
Sales
Volume

Average
Price 2

Jun
2009

May
2010

Jun
2010

Jun
2009

May
2010

Jun
2010

1,000 Pounds

1,000 Pounds

1,000 Pounds

Dollars per Pound

Dollars per Pound

Dollars per Pound

1,117
1,429
2,546

1,434
1,410
2,844

1,256
1,464
2,720

1.12
2.00
1.64

1.07
1.97
1.55

1.09
1.94
1.58

81
635
67
783

91
544
78
713

92
482
56
630

2.44
1.40
3.46
1.68

2.42
1.38
3.64
1.76

2.41
1.38
3.50
1.72

Fillets

3,621

3,720

3,398

3.22

3.25

3.27

Total Fresh

6,950

7,277

6,748

2.47

2.44

2.44

763

709

800

2.19

2.23

2.19

Other
Steaks
Nuggets
Other
Total

64
2,296
756
3,116

56
2,743
591
3,390

62
3,300
634
3,996

2.31
1.15
2.90
1.60

2.35
1.08
2.98
1.43

2.35
1.06
2.93
1.38

Fillets

8,188

7,766

8,367

2.91

2.99

2.95

12,067

11,865

13,163

2.53

2.50

2.43

1,117
2,192
3,309

1,434
2,119
3,553

1,256
2,264
3,520

1.12
2.07
1.77

1.07
2.06
1.69

1.09
2.03
1.72

145
2,931
823
3,899

147
3,287
669
4,103

154
3,782
690
4,626

2.38
1.20
2.95
1.62

2.39
1.13
3.06
1.49

2.39
1.10
2.98
1.42

11,809

11,486

11,765

3.01

3.07

3.04

19,017

19,142

19,911

2.51

2.48

2.43

Other
Steaks
Nuggets
Other
Total

Frozen Fish
Whole Dressed

Total Frozen
Fresh & Frozen Fish
Whole
Round & Gutted
Whole Dressed
Total
Other
Steaks
Nuggets
Other
Total
Fillets
Total Fresh & Frozen
1

For further detail, please refer to the terms and definitions section of this report.
2
Gross value f.o.b. plant.

Catfish Processing
July 2010

3

Agricultural Statistics Board
NASS, USDA

Item 1

Catfish Processors: Ending Inventory
by Month, United States, 2009-2010
Ending Inventory
Jun 2009

May 2010

Jun 2010

1,000 Pounds

1,000 Pounds

1,000 Pounds

Fresh Fish
Whole
Round & Gutted
Whole Dressed
Total

*
*
171

*
*
183

*
*
155

Other
Steaks
Nuggets
Other
Total

*
94
*
100

*
73
*
83

*
102
*
109

Fillets

493

402

440

Total Fresh

764

668

704

Frozen Fish
Whole Dressed

436

952

1,074

Other
Steaks
Nuggets
Other
Total

*
1,342
*
1,992

*
1,631
*
2,296

*
1,756
*
2,501

Fillets

7,349

6,845

6,765

9,777

10,093

10,340

*
*
607

*
*
1,135

*
*
1,229

Other
Steaks
Nuggets
Other
Total

*
1,436
*
2,092

*
1,704
*
2,379

*
1,858
*
2,610

Fillets

7,842

7,247

7,205

10,541

10,761

11,044

Total Frozen
Fresh & Frozen Fish
Whole
Round & Gutted
Whole Dressed
Total

Total Fresh & Frozen

* Not published to avoid disclosure of individual operations.
1
For further detail, please refer to the terms and definitions section of this report.

Catfish Processing
July 2010

4

Agricultural Statistics Board
NASS, USDA

Catfish: Imports, by Month, United States, 2009-2010
Imports 1
Total 2

Ictalurus spp.
Month
2009

2010

Percent
of
2009

2009

2010

Percent
of
2009

1,000 Pounds

1,000 Pounds

Percent

1,000 Pounds

1,000 Pounds

Percent

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
1
2

2,344
1,225
972
1,364
1,659
1,088
1,849
1,210
1,385
1,584
2,144
2,527

3,091
2,150
1,179
1,220
656

132
176
121
89
40

9,819
6,527
8,942
8,548
11,592
10,577
10,765
11,711
12,541
13,857
12,783
11,718

14,612
10,421
7,608
8,804
9,971

149
160
85
103
86

Data compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Includes freshwater imports for consumption of Ictalurus spp., Pangasius spp., and other catfish of the order Siluriformes.

Catfish: Exports, by Month, United States, 2009-2010
Exports 1
Fresh

Frozen

Month

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
1

2009

2010

Percent
of
2009

1,000 Pounds

1,000 Pounds

Percent

87.0
65.1
65.1
47.5
79.1
63.8
68.6
91.8
50.6
138.0
59.1
63.1

90.4
58.2
165.8
39.5
47.3

104
89
255
83
60

2009

2010

Percent
of
2009

1,000 Pounds

1,000 Pounds

Percent

0.0
0.0
50.6
12.8
14.2
21.4
20.5
12.4
17.7
43.4
30.2
56.3

26.4
33.8
16.5
28.8
20.5

33
225
144

Data compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Catfish Processing
July 2010

5

Agricultural Statistics Board
NASS, USDA

Reliability of Catfish Processing Estimates
Survey Procedures: Survey data for catfish processing are collected from approximately 18 processors. All
participating processors must meet the minimum criteria of having a capacity to process at least 2,000 pounds live
weight of catfish per 8-hour shift. The survey is conducted entirely by NASS Headquarters staff in Washington,
D.C. However, NASS field offices are responsible for informing Headquarters staff of any new processing
operations in their state to ensure complete survey coverage. Processors are contacted either by mail, telephone,
fax or internet. Diligent effort is made to ensure that all operations are accounted for in the estimate.
Estimation Procedures: The "Catfish Processing" report refers strictly to farm-raised fish and excludes wild
capture fish. Prior to summarization, questionnaires are compared with the previous month's reports for
comparable placement of data, reasonable price levels, and a reasonable inventory carryover given the sales and
processing totals reported. Estimates are made for those processors whose reports are not available in time to be
included in the release. These plants are identified by an asterisk on page 6 of this release. Estimates are
normally based on the processor's previous report and current conditions. Published totals are a straight
summation of the individual reports and estimated data. Price items are weighted by the associated volumes to
compute weighted average prices. The published price for total whole fish, however, reflects an adjustment to the
round and gutted only price to bring it to an equivalent dressed weight price.
If a plant uses a fiscal accounting system, prorating is used to convert reported data to a calendar month basis.
Only national level estimates are published due to the limited number of plants involved.
One unique feature of the "Catfish Processing" report is the listing of cooperating processors by name on each
month's release. This feature originally was used to solicit industry cooperation in maintaining coverage, but it
has continued because of the processors' overall acceptance of this policy.
Import and export data for catfish, which are compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau, are also included in this report.
Revision Policy: Revisions may be necessary in the previous month’s publication based on late reports received
from plants. These revisions are made to improve month to month relationships. In February, all monthly
estimates for the previous year are reviewed and subject to revision. This review is primarily based on data that
may have been received after the original estimates were published.
Reliability: Estimates are based on a census of all known active processors and, therefore, have no sampling
variability. However, estimates may be subject to errors such as omissions, duplication, and mistakes in
reporting, recording, and processing of the data. These errors are minimized through strict quality controls in the
edit and summarization process, and a careful review of all reported data for consistency and reasonableness.

Processing data were compiled in cooperation with the following processors:
America’s Catch, Inc.
Carolina Classics Catfish, LLC
Consolidated Catfish Producers, LLC
Delta Supreme Fish Processors
Fish Breeders of Idaho, Inc.
*Farm Catch Catfish Processors, Inc.
Freshwater Farms Products, LLC
Guidry Catfish, Inc.
Harings Pride Catfish

Harvest Select Catfish, Inc.
*Heartland Catfish
Lake’s Farm Raised Catfish, Inc.
Pride of the Pond
Prime Line, Inc.
Seabrook Seafood, Inc.
Simmons Farm Raised Catfish, Inc.
South Fresh Farms
Superior Fish Products

*Estimated

Catfish Processing
July 2010

6

Agricultural Statistics Board
NASS, USDA

Terms and Definitions Used for Catfish Processing Estimates:
Average Price Paid to Producers - Refers to the price of fish delivered to the processing plant door. Price
includes charges for any services provided by the processing plant, such as seining and hauling, but does not
include any adjustments based on year-end settlements.
Fillets - Boned sides of the fish, cut lengthwise away from the backbone. Includes regular, shank, and strip
fillets; excludes any breaded products.
Fresh Fish - Fish intended for immediate consumption. Also referred to as ice-packed.
Frozen Fish - Fish which are individually quick frozen and glazed (IQF) or individually bagged and bulk frozen.
Ictalurus spp. - All species under this genus, which includes channel catfish, blue catfish, and other catfish
species.
Nuggets - Small fillets cuts from below the rib section of the fish and usually includes weight of breading and
added ingredients.
Other Products - Includes steaks, nuggets, and all other products not separately reported including the weight of
breading and added ingredients.
Pangasius spp. - All species under this genus, which includes basa, tra, stuchi catfish, and other catfish species.
Round & Gutted Only - Fish with no processing done or viscera only removed.
Round Weight - The term for a fish’s live weight.
Siluriformes - The scientific order which contains all families of catfish.
Steaks - Cross-section cuts from larger dressed fish.
Strips - Finger size pieces of fish cut from fillets and usually includes breading or added ingredients.
Whole Dressed - Weight of whole fish with only head, viscera, and skin removed. Generally, 60 percent of the
live weight remains as dressed fish.
Information Contacts
Listed below are the commodity specialists in the Livestock Branch of the National Agricultural Statistics Service
to contact for additional information.
Dan Kerestes, Chief, Livestock Branch ......................................................................................... (202) 720-3570
Bruce Boess, Head, Poultry and Specialty Commodities Section .................................................. (202) 720-4447
Doug Bounds – Poultry Slaughter, Turkey Hatchery, Turkeys Raised ..................................... (202) 690-3237
David Colwell – Cold Storage................................................................................................... (202) 720-8784
Chris Hawthorn – Catfish Processing, Catfish Production, Trout Production,
Census of Aquaculture, Egg Products, Mink................................................ (202) 720-0585
Kim Linonis – Layers, Eggs ...................................................................................................... (202) 690-8632
Troy Marshall – Broiler Hatchery, Chicken Hatchery, Honey .................................................. (202) 720-3244

Catfish Processing
July 2010

7

Agricultural Statistics Board
NASS, USDA

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