Net pounds of processed fish sold during November 2009 totaled 15.7 million pounds, down five per cent from the comparable month in 2008. The total end of the month inventory increased 17 per cent from last month but was down six per cent from a year ago. Sales of fresh fish, at 5.96 million pounds, were down two per cent from November 2008 and represented 38 per cent of total sales. Frozen fish sales, at 9.79 million pounds, were down seven per cent from a year ago and accounted for the remaining 62 per cent of total fish sales. Sales of whole fish represented 19 per cent of the total fish sold, fillets accounted for 61 per cent, and the remaining 20 per cent were mostly steaks, nuggets, and value added products.
The November 2009 average price received by processors for total fresh fish was $2.39 per pound, down 13 cents from last year. Prices for fresh whole fish were $1.57 per pound, down 15 cents from November 2008. Prices for fresh fillets were down 12 cents from a year ago at $3.18 per pound. Total frozen fish averaged $2.58 per pound, down two cents from November 2008. Prices for frozen whole dressed fish were down nine cents at $2.18 and frozen fillets at $2.95 per pound were down 10 cents from a year ago.
Freshwater imports for consumption of Ictalurus spp., Pangasius spp., and other catfish of the order Siluriformes for October 2009 totaled 13.9 million pounds, up 93 per cent from the amount imported in October 2008. Imports were from Cambodia, Canada, China, Indonesia, Mexico, Spain, Thailand and Vietnam. The Ictalurus spp. imports totaled 1.58 million pounds, which were from Canada, China, Indonesia and Mexico.
Fresh, boneless catfish fillet exports totaled 138 thousand pounds, with 45.2 thousand pounds going to Canada and the rest going to the Bahamas, Canada, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria and Turkey. Exports of frozen, boneless catfish fillets reported for October 2009 totaled 43.4 thousand pounds, going to Argentina, the British Virgin Islands, the Netherlands Antilles, Trinidad and Tobago and Vietnam.
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