Catfish Production - Release - 07-23-2019

Catfish Production
ISSN: 1948-271X

Released July 23, 2019, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA).

Water Surface Acres down Slightly
The water surface area to be used for catfish production in the three major producing States (Alabama, Arkansas, and
Mississippi) during July 1 through December 31, 2019, totaled 57.9 thousand acres, down slightly from a year ago. Acres
used for foodsize fish totaled 46.3 thousand acres, down slightly from the same time period in 2018. Acres used for
fingerling production are unchanged at 7.41 thousand acres, and acres for broodfish are unchanged at 1.74 thousand acres.
Of the total acres in production, 1.56 thousand were scheduled to be renovated from July 1, 2019, to December 31, 2019,
while acres taken out of production during the January 1, 2019, through June 30, 2019, period totaled 1,110 acres.

Foodsize Inventory up 6 Percent
Catfish operations in the three major producing States had 111 million foodsize fish on hand on July 1, 2019, up 6 percent
from July 1, 2018. The breakouts of foodsize fish inventory numbers on July 1, 2019, with their respective percent change
from the previous year were: large foodsize, 2.41 million fish, down 16 percent; medium foodsize, 31.0 million fish, down
1 percent; and small foodsize, 77.2 million fish, up 10 percent. The three major States also had 730 thousand broodfish on
hand on July 1, 2019, up 34 percent from last year's 545 thousand broodfish.
Catfish operations in the three major producing States had 296 million stockers on hand on July 1, 2019, down 8 percent
from the July 1, 2018, total of 322 million stockers. The breakouts of stocker fish inventory numbers on July 1, 2019, with
their respective change from the previous year were: large stockers, 149 million fish, down 18 percent; and small stockers,
147 million, up 5 percent from last year. Producers had 512 million fingerlings and fry on hand on July 1, 2019, down
5 percent from July 1, 2018.

Water Surface Acres Used for Production – Major States: 2018 and 2019
Water surface acres used for production July 1 - December 31

State

2018

2019

(acres)

(acres)

Alabama .............................................................
Arkansas .............................................................
Mississippi ..........................................................

17,000
4,700
36,400

16,900
4,700
36,300

3 State total .........................................................

58,100

57,900

Catfish Water Surface Acres by Use – Major States: 2018 and 2019
Acres intended for utilization during July 1 - December 31 for
State and year

Foodsize

Fingerlings

(acres)

(acres)

Broodfish

(acres)

Renovation

New
construction

Acres taken out
of production
during
January 1 June 30

(acres)

(acres)

(acres)

Currently under
or scheduled for

2018
Alabama ...............................................
Arkansas ...............................................
Mississippi ............................................

16,500
3,000
27,000

210
1,200
6,000

45
195
1,500

340
340
2,500

(D)
(D)
700

(D)
(D)
225

3 State total ...........................................

46,500

7,410

1,740

3,180

1,160

455

2019
Alabama ...............................................
Arkansas ...............................................
Mississippi ............................................

16,400
3,000
26,900

210
1,200
6,000

(D)
(D)
1,500

300
155
1,100

(D)
(D)
500

680
430

3 State total ...........................................

46,300

7,410

1,740

1,555

820

1,110

- Represents zero.
(D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations.

2

Catfish Production (July 2019)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

Catfish Inventory by Size Category – Major States: July 1, 2018 and 2019
Live weight

Fish

Size category
and State

Total

Average

2018

2019

2018

2019

2018

2019

(1,000 fish)

(1,000 fish)

(1,000 pounds)

(1,000 pounds)

(pounds per fish)

(pounds per fish)

Large foodsize
Alabama .................................................
Arkansas ................................................
Mississippi ..............................................

1,020
400
1,440

1,090
210
1,110

3,850
1,370
5,300

4,300
756
3,800

3.8
3.4
3.7

3.9
3.6
3.4

3 State total ............................................

2,860

2,410

10,520

8,856

3.7

3.7

Medium foodsize
Alabama .................................................
Arkansas ................................................
Mississippi ..............................................

11,400
2,390
17,600

13,900
2,000
15,100

22,000
4,500
33,000

26,900
3,800
27,900

1.9
1.9
1.9

1.9
1.9
1.8

3 State total ............................................

31,390

31,000

59,500

58,600

1.9

1.9

Small foodsize
Alabama .................................................
Arkansas ................................................
Mississippi ..............................................

23,000
3,890
43,200

25,000
4,520
47,700

23,400
3,800
41,100

24,800
4,500
45,700

1.0
1.0
1.0

1.0
1.0
1.0

3 State total ............................................

70,090

77,220

68,300

75,000

1.0

1.0

All foodsize
Alabama .................................................
Arkansas ................................................
Mississippi ..............................................

35,420
6,680
62,240

39,990
6,730
63,910

49,250
9,670
79,400

56,000
9,056
77,400

(X)
(X)
(X)

(X)
(X)
(X)

3 State total ............................................

104,340

110,630

138,320

142,456

(X)

(X)

Broodfish
Alabama .................................................
Arkansas ................................................
Mississippi ..............................................

10
45
490

(D)
(D)
510

45
197
2,350

(D)
(D)
2,500

4.5
4.4
4.8

(D)
(D)
4.9

3 State total ............................................

545

730

2,592

3,393

4.8

See footnote(s) at end of table.

Catfish Production (July 2019)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

4.6
--continued

3

Catfish Inventory by Size Category – Major States: July 1, 2018 and 2019 (continued)
Live weight

Fish

Size category
and State

Total

2018
(1,000 fish)

2019
(1,000 fish)

2018

Average
2019

2018

2019

(1,000 pounds)

(1,000 pounds)

(pounds per
1,000 fish)

(pounds per
1,000 fish)

Large stockers
Alabama .........................................
Arkansas .........................................
Mississippi ......................................

52,400
12,700
116,000

47,000
10,600
91,300

17,600
3,400
36,600

19,100
2,950
33,600

336
268
316

406
278
368

3 State total .....................................

181,100

148,900

57,600

55,650

318

374

Small stockers
Alabama .........................................
Arkansas .........................................
Mississippi ......................................

36,800
15,400
88,600

61,900
5,640
79,700

3,550
1,520
9,150

5,650
495
8,450

96
98
103

91
87
106

3 State total .....................................

140,800

147,240

14,220

14,595

101

99

Total stockers
Alabama .........................................
Arkansas .........................................
Mississippi ......................................

89,200
28,100
204,600

108,900
16,240
171,000

21,150
4,920
45,750

24,750
3,445
42,050

(X)
(X)
(X)

(X)
(X)
(X)

3 State total .....................................

321,900

296,140

71,820

70,245

(X)

(X)

Fingerlings and fry
Alabama .........................................
Arkansas .........................................
Mississippi ......................................

12,500
66,700
461,000

(D)
(D)
444,000

295
1,070
8,150

(D)
(D)
6,350

23.6
16.0
17.7

(D)
(D)
14.3

3 State total .....................................

540,200

512,300

9,515

7,329

17.6

14.3

(D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations.
(X) Not applicable.

4

Catfish Production (July 2019)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

Statistical Methodology
Survey Procedures: All known catfish producers in the three published states are surveyed to collect production data.
Individual NASS regional field offices maintain a list of all known catfish producers and use known sources of producers
to update their lists. Operators are mailed a questionnaire as close as possible to July 1 and given time to respond by mail.
Those that do not respond by mail are telephoned or possibly enumerated in person during the middle of July.
Estimating Procedures: Sound statistical methodology is employed to derive the estimates from reported data. All data
are analyzed for unusual values. Data from each operation are compared to their own past operating profile and to trends
from similar operations. Missing data for large operations are estimated based on similar operations or historical data.
Summary expansions account for the remaining non-response operations. NASS regional field offices prepare these
estimates by using a combination of survey indications and historic trends. Individual State estimates are reviewed by the
Agricultural Statistics Board for reasonableness.
Revision policy: Estimates for the previous year are subject to revision when current estimates are made. Revisions are
the result of late or corrected data. Due to sequestration, NASS did not produce July catfish production estimates in 2013.
Reliability: In the three published states, catfish production estimates are based on a census of all known active producers
and therefore, have no sampling variability. However, estimates are subject to errors such as omissions, duplication, and
mistakes in reporting, recording, and processing the data. While these errors cannot be measured directly, they are
minimized through strict quality controls in the data collection process and a careful review of all reported data for
consistency and reasonableness.

Terms and Definitions Used for Catfish Production Estimates
Broodfish: Fish kept for egg production, including males. Broodfish produce the fertilized eggs, which go to hatcheries.
The most desirable size is 3 to 10 pounds or 4 to 6 years of age.
Fingerlings: Fish weighing 2 to 60 pounds per 1,000 fish or 2 to 6 inches in length.
Foodsize (large): Fish weighing over 3 pounds.
Foodsize (medium): Fish weighing over one and one-half pounds to 3 pounds.
Foodsize (small): Fish weighing over three-fourths of a pound to one and one-half pounds.
Fry: Fish weighing less than 2 pounds per 1,000 fish or less than 2 inches in length.
Stockers (large): Fish weighing over 180 pounds to 750 pounds per 1,000 fish.
Stockers (small): Fish weighing over 60 pounds to 180 pounds per 1,000 fish or over 6 inches in length.

Catfish Production (July 2019)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

5

Information Contacts
Listed below are the commodity specialists in the Livestock Branch of the National Agricultural Statistics Service to
contact for additional information. E-mail inquiries may be sent to [email protected]
Travis Averill, Chief, Livestock Branch ......................................................................................................... (202) 720-3570
Tony Dorn, Head, Poultry and Specialty Commodities Section ..................................................................... (202) 690-3223
Holly Brenize – Poultry Slaughter ............................................................................................................. (202) 720-0585
Alissa Cowell-Mytar – Cold Storage, Capacity of Refrigerated Warehouses .......................................... (202) 720-4751
Liana Cuffman – Catfish and Trout, Egg Products, Mink, Census of Aquaculture ................................. (202) 720-8784
Adam Peters – Broiler Hatchery, Chicken Hatchery ................................................................................ (202) 690-3237
Kim Linonis – Layers, Eggs ..................................................................................................................... (202) 690-3676
Fatema Haque – Turkey Hatchery, Turkeys Raised ................................................................................. (202) 720-3244
Vacant – Cost of Pollination, Honey, Honey Bee Colonies ..................................................................... (202) 720-6147

Access to NASS Reports
For your convenience, you may access NASS reports and products the following ways:
 All reports are available electronically, at no cost, on the NASS web site: www.nass.usda.gov
 Both national and state specific reports are available via a free e-mail subscription. To set-up this free
subscription, visit www.nass.usda.gov and click on “National” or “State” in upper right corner above “search”
box to create an account and select the reports you would like to receive.
 Cornell’s Mann Library has launched a new website housing NASS’s and other agency’s archived reports. The
new website, https://usda.library.cornell.edu. All email subscriptions containing reports will be sent from the new
website, https://usda.library.cornell.edu. To continue receiving the reports via e-mail, you will have to go to the
new website, create a new account and re-subscribe to the reports. If you need instructions to set up an account or
subscribe, they are located at: https://usda.library.cornell.edu/help. You should whitelist [email protected] in your email client to avoid the emails going into spam/junk folders.
For more information on NASS surveys and reports, call the NASS Agricultural Statistics Hotline at (800) 727-9540,
7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET, or e-mail: [email protected].
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees, and applicants for
employment on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where
applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or all or part of an individual's
income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected genetic information in employment or in any program
or activity conducted or funded by the Department. (Not all prohibited bases will apply to all programs and/or
employment activities.)
If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination
Complaint Form (PDF), found online at www.ascr.usda.gov/filing-program-discrimination-complaint-usda-customer, or
at any USDA office, or call (866) 632-9992 to request the form. You may also write a letter containing all of the
information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, by fax
(202) 690-7442 or email at [email protected].