Farm-raised catfish processed during January 2010 totaled 38.5 million pounds round weight, up six per cent from January 2009. The average price paid to producers was 76.2 cents per pound for January 2010, down 0.1 cent from last month and 4.8 cents below a year ago.
Net pounds of processed fish sold during January 2010 totaled 18.7 million pounds, down three per cent from the comparable month in 2009. The total end of the month inventory decreased three per cent from last month but was up slightly from a year ago. Sales of fresh fish, at 6.73 million pounds, were down four per cent from January 2009 and represented 36 per cent of total sales. Frozen fish sales, at 11.9 million pounds, were down two per cent from a year ago and accounted for the remaining 64 per cent of total fish sales. Sales of whole fish represented 18 per cent of the total fish sold, fillets accounted for 57 per cent, and the remaining 25 per cent were mostly steaks, nuggets, and value added products.
The January 2010 average price received by processors for total fresh fish was $2.36 per pound, down 21 cents from last year. Prices for fresh whole fish were $1.52 per pound, down 20 cents from January 2009. Prices for fresh fillets were down 15 cents from a year ago at $3.15 per pound. Total frozen fish averaged $2.49 per pound, down 11 cents from January 2009. Prices for frozen whole dressed fish were down 4 cents at $2.22 and frozen fillets at $2.90 per pound were down 11 cents from a year ago.
Freshwater imports for consumption of Ictalurus spp., Pangasius spp., and other catfish of the order Siluriformes for December 2009 totaled 11.7 million pounds, up 50 per cent from the amount imported in December 2008. Imports were from Cambodia, Canada, China, Indonesia, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Thailand and Vietnam. The Ictalurus spp. imports totaled 2.53 million pounds, which were from Canada, China, Indonesia, Mexico, Panama and Peru.
Fresh, boneless catfish fillet exports totaled 63.1 thousand pounds, with 43.0 thousand pounds going to Canada and the rest going to the Bahamas, Equatorial Guinea and Germany. Exports of frozen, boneless catfish fillets reported for December 2009 totaled 56.3 thousand pounds, going to the British Virgin Islands, the Netherlands Antilles and Vietnam.
Import and export data are compiled by the US Census Bureau.
2009 Catfish processing down 9 per cent
Farm-raised catfish processed during 2009 totaled 466 million pounds, nine per cent below the 510 million pounds processed in 2008. The average price paid to producers in 2009 was 77.1 cents per pound, one per cent below the 77.6 cents paid last year.
Net pounds of processed catfish sold in 2009 totaled 229 million pounds, down nine per cent from the 251 million pounds sold last year.
The 2009 average price received for processed fish was $2.53 per pound, up nine cents from a year ago.
Inventory on hand at the end of 2009 totaled 14.5 million pounds, a decrease of seven per cent from the 15.5 million pounds on hand at the close of 2008.
Further Reading
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