Farm-raised catfish processed during October 2008 totaled 42.2 million pounds round weight, down 8 percent from October 2007. The average price paid to producers was 82.5 cents per pound for October 2008, down 0.2 cents from last month, but 14.3 cents above a year ago.
Net pounds of processed fish sold during October 2008 totaled 20.7 million pounds, down 8 percent from the comparable month in 2007. The total end of the month inventory increased 12 percent from last month and was up 15 percent from a year ago. Sales of fresh fish, at 7.14 million pounds, were down 13 percent from October 2007 and represented 35 percent of total sales. Frozen fish sales, at 13.5 million pounds, were down 5 percent from a year ago and accounted for the remaining 65 percent of total fish sales. Sales of whole fish represented 21 percent of the total fish sold, fillets accounted for 57 percent, and the remaining 22 percent were mostly steaks, nuggets, and value added products.
The October 2008 average price received by processors for total fresh fish was $2.52 per pound, up 19 cents from last year. Prices for fresh whole fish were $1.68 per pound, up 9 cents from October 2007. Prices for fresh fillets were up 35 cents from a year ago at $3.31 per pound. Total frozen fish averaged $2.51 per pound, up 21 cents from October 2007. Prices for frozen whole dressed fish were up 23 cents at $2.29 and frozen fillets at $3.01 per pound were up 27 cents from a year ago.
Freshwater imports for consumption of Ictalurus spp., Pangasius spp., and other catfish of the order Siluriformes for September 2008 totaled 6.46 million pounds, down 4 percent from the amount imported in September 2007. Imports were from Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Spain, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Ictalurus spp. imports totaled 987 thousand pounds, which were from Cambodia and Malaysia.
Fresh boneless catfish fillet exports totaled 62.6 thousand pounds, with 48.3 thousand pounds going to Canada and the rest going to Mexico and the Netherlands. A total of 3.5 thousand pounds of frozen boneless catfish fillets were exported to the Bahamas and South Korea for the month of September, 2008.
Import and export data are compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau.
U. S. Catfish Processed
U. S. Average Grower Price
Further Reading
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