Catfish Processing rises slightly

Catfish Processing Up Slightly from Last Year

Farm-raised catfish processed during September 2006 totaled 47.3 million pounds round weight, up slightly from September 2005. The average price paid to producers was 83.2 cents per pound for September 2006, up 2.1 cents from last month and 10.8 cents above a year ago.

Net pounds of processed fish sold during September 2006 totaled 22.2 million pounds, down 10 percent from the comparable month in 2005. The total end of the month inventory increased 14 percent from last month and was up 4 percent from a year ago. Sales of fresh fish, at 7.48 million pounds, were down 13 percent from September 2005 and represented 34 percent of total sales. Frozen fish sales, at 14.7 million pounds, were down 8 percent from a year ago and accounted for the remaining 66 percent of total fish sales. Sales of whole fish represented 16 percent of the total fish sold, fillets accounted for 61 percent, and the remaining 23 percent were mostly steaks, nuggets, and value added products.

The September 2006 average price received by processors for total fresh fish was $2.57 per pound, an increase of 28 cents from last year. Prices for fresh whole fish were $1.78 per pound, up 20 cents from last year. Prices for fresh fillets were up 39 cents at $3.22 per pound. Total frozen fish averaged $2.53 per pound, up 25 cents from September 2005. Prices for frozen whole fish were up 21 cents at $2.22 and frozen fillets at $3.03 per pound were up 35 cents from a year ago.

Freshwater imports of Ictalurus spp., Pangasius spp., and other catfish of the order Siluriformes for August 2006 totaled 8.99 million pounds, up significantly from the amount imported last year. Imports were from Cambodia, Canada, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Ictalurus spp. imports totaled 819 thousand pounds, which were from Canada and China.

Exports of frozen, boneless catfish fillets reported for August 2006 totaled 15.2 thousand pounds, of which all went to Canada. Fresh fillet exports totaled 107 thousand pounds, with 37.4 thousand pounds going to Canada and the rest to China, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Import and export data are compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Catfish Processed
United States 2004 - 2006