Catfish Processing Up Eight Per Cent

Farm-raised catfish processed during February 2008 totaled 47.6 million pounds round weight, up 8 percent from February 2007. The average price paid to producers was 68.8 cents per pound for February 2008, up 3.0 cents from last month but 15.0 cents below a year ago.

Net pounds of processed fish sold during February 2008 totaled 25.0 million pounds, up 9 percent from the comparable month in 2007. The total end of the month inventory decreased 14 percent from last month and was down 37 percent from a year ago. Sales of fresh fish, at 9.32 million pounds, were up 16 percent from February 2007 and represented 37 percent of total sales. Frozen fish sales, at 15.7 million pounds, were up 5 percent from a year ago and accounted for the remaining 63 percent of total fish sales. Sales of whole fish represented 18 percent of the total fish sold, fillets accounted for 60 percent, and the remaining 22 percent were mostly steaks, nuggets, and value added products.

The February 2008 average price received by processors for total fresh fish was $2.23 per pound, down 35 cents from last year. Prices for fresh whole fish were $1.50 per pound, down 27 cents from February 2007. Prices for fresh fillets were down 36 cents from a year ago at $2.88 per pound. Total frozen fish averaged $2.31 per pound, down 14 cents from February 2007. Prices for frozen whole dressed fish were down 20 cents at $2.07 and frozen fillets at $2.73 per pound were down 35 cents from a year ago.

Imports Fall

Freshwater imports for consumption of Ictalurus spp., Pangasius spp., and other catfish of the order Siluriformes for January 2008 totaled 9.67 million pounds, down 20 percent from the amount imported in January 2007. Imports were from Australia, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Ictalurus spp. imports totaled 2.94 million pounds, which were all from China.

Fresh boneless catfish fillet exports totaled 135 thousand pounds, with 74.6 thousand pounds going to Canada and the rest to Germany and the Netherlands. Exports of frozen, boneless catfish fillets reported for January 2008 totaled 23.1 thousand pounds all going to the Netherlands.

Import and export data are compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Further Reading

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