The average price paid to producers was 93.1 cents per pound for January 2011, up 7.0 cents from last month and 16.7 cents above a year ago.
Net pounds of processed fish sold during January 2011 totaled 18.2 million pounds, down six per cent from the comparable month in 2010. Sales of fresh fish, at 6.32 million pounds, were down 11 per cent from January 2010 and represented 35 per cent of total sales. Frozen fish sales, at 11.9 million pounds, were down four per cent from a year ago and accounted for the remaining 65 per cent of total fish sales. Sales of whole fish represented 17 per cent of the total fish sold, fillets accounted for 60 per cent, and the remaining 23 per cent were mostly steaks, nuggets, and value added products. The total end of the month inventory decreased 10 per cent from last month and was down 20 percent from a year ago.
The total fresh and frozen average price for January 2011 was $2.84, up 38 cents from a year ago. The January 2011 average price received by processors for total fresh fish was $2.69 per pound, up 31 cents from last year. Prices for fresh whole fish were $1.90 per pound, up 35 cents from January 2010. Prices for fresh fillets were up 31 cents from a year ago at $3.47 per pound. Total frozen fish averaged $2.93 per pound, up 43 cents from January 2010. Prices for frozen whole dressed fish were up 19 cents at $2.41 and frozen fillets at $3.30 per pound were up 40 cents from a year ago.
Freshwater imports for consumption of Ictalurus spp., Pangasius spp., and other catfish of the order Siluriformes for December 2010 totaled 16.9 million pounds, up 44 per cent from the amount imported in December 2009. Imports were from Cambodia, China, Mexico, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The Ictalurus spp. imports totaled 1.27 million pounds, which were from China, Mexico and Vietnam.
Fresh, boneless catfish fillet exports totaled 45.7 thousand pounds, with 43.7 thousand pounds going to Canada and the rest going to Colombia. Exports of frozen, boneless catfish fillets reported for December 2010 totaled 1.30 thousand pounds, with all going to the Bahamas.
Import and export data are compiled by the United States Census Bureau.
Farm-raised catfish processed during 2010 totaled 472 million pounds, one per cent above the 466 million pounds processed in 2009. The average price paid to producers in 2010 was 80.1 cents per pound, 3 cents above the 77.1 cents paid last year.
Net pounds of processed catfish sold in 2010 totaled 232 million pounds, up one per cent from the 229 million pounds sold last year. The 2010 average price received for processed fish was $2.50 per pound, down 3 cents from a year ago. Inventory on hand at the end of 2010 totaled 12.3 million pounds, a decrease of 15 per cent from the 14.5 million pounds on hand at the close of 2009.
