Catfish Processing lowest July round weight since 1995
Farm-raised catfish processed during July 2007 totaled 39.2 million pounds round weight, down 14 percent from July 2006. This total is the lowest reported July round weight processed since July 1996 when 39.0 million pounds were processed. The average price paid to producers was 76.2 cents per pound for July 2007, down 5.5 cents from last month and 5.0 cents below a year ago.
Net pounds of processed fish sold during July 2007 totaled 20.4 million pounds, down 8 percent from the comparable month in 2006. The total end of the month inventory decreased 10 percent from last month but was up 49 percent from a year ago. Sales of fresh fish, at 7.25 million pounds, were down 8 percent from July 2006 and represented 36 percent of total sales. Frozen fish sales, at 13.1 million pounds, were down 8 percent from a year ago and accounted for the remaining 64 percent of total fish sales. Sales of whole fish represented 16 percent of the total fish sold, fillets accounted for 63 percent, and the remaining 21 percent were mostly steaks, nuggets, and value added products.
The July 2007 average price received by processors for total fresh fish was $2.53 per pound, unchanged from last year. Prices for fresh whole fish were $1.73 per pound, up 1 cent from July 2006. Prices for fresh fillets were unchanged from a year ago at $3.18 per pound. Total frozen fish averaged $2.48 per pound, down 12 cents from July 2006. Prices for frozen whole dressed fish were down 5 cents at $2.19 and frozen fillets at $2.93 per pound were down 8 cents from a year ago.
Freshwater imports of Ictalurus spp., Pangasius spp., and other catfish of the order Siluriformes for June 2007 totaled 5.47 million pounds, up 24 percent from the amount imported in June 2006. Imports were from Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, China-Taipei, Indonesia, Philippines, Spain, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Ictalurus spp. imports totaled 388 thousand pounds, which were from Brazil, Canada, China, China-Taipei, and Philippines.
Fresh boneless catfish fillet exports totaled 69.3 thousand pounds, with 54.3 thousand pounds going to Canada and the rest going to the Bahamas and the Netherlands. Exports of frozen, boneless catfish fillets reported for June 2007 totaled 24.3 thousand pounds, which all went to China.
Import and export data are compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Catfish Processed
United States 2005-2007
Average Grower Price
United States 2005-2007
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