Catfish Processing ISSN: 1948-2701 Released March 20, 2013, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Special Note Due to sequestration, all releases of this report have been suspended through the end of the federal fiscal year on September 30, 2013. Please check the NASS website at www.nass.usda.gov for any future updates on NASS programs. Catfish Processing Up 11 Percent from Last Year Farm-raised catfish processed during February 2013 totaled 30.0 million pounds round weight, up 11 percent from February 2012. The average price paid to producers was 82.2 cents per pound for February 2013, up 0.3 cent from last month but 40.7 cents below a year ago. Net pounds of processed fish sold during February 2013 totaled 15.5 million pounds, up 8 percent from the comparable month in 2012. Sales of fresh fish, at 5.59 million pounds, were up 8 percent from February 2012 and represented 36 percent of total sales. Frozen fish sales, at 9.96 million pounds, were up 8 percent from a year ago and accounted for the remaining 64 percent of total fish sales. Sales of whole fish represented 20 percent of the total fish sold, fillets accounted for 60 percent, and the remaining 20 percent were mostly steaks, nuggets, and value added products. The total end of the month inventory decreased 9 percent from last month and was down 40 percent from a year ago. The total fresh and frozen average price for February 2013 was $2.77, down 73 cents from a year ago. The February 2013 average price received by processors for total fresh fish was $2.67 per pound, down 75 cents from last year. Prices for fresh whole fish were $1.83 per pound, down 61 cents from February 2012. Prices for fresh fillets were down $1.00 from a year ago at $3.68 per pound. Total frozen fish averaged $2.82 per pound, down 72 cents from February 2012. Prices for frozen whole dressed fish were down 21 cents at $2.73 and frozen fillets at $3.15 per pound were down $1.10 from a year ago. Imports for consumption of Ictalurus spp., Pangasius spp., and other catfish of the order Siluriformes for January 2013 totaled 19.4 million pounds, down 24 percent from the amount imported in January 2012. Imports were from Bangladesh, Brazil, China, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Ictalurus spp. imports totaled 861 thousand pounds, which were from China and Thailand. Fresh catfish fillet exports totaled 377 thousand pounds, with 55.8 thousand pounds going to Canada and the rest going to China, Kuwait, Mexico, the Islands of Turks and Caicos, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam. Exports of frozen catfish fillets reported for January 2013 totaled 46.0 thousand pounds, going to Nigeria and the Islands of Turks and Caicos. Import and export data are compiled by the United States Census Bureau. Farm-Raised Catfish Processed and Prices Paid to Producers by Month - United States: 2012-2013 [Blank cells indicate estimation period has not yet begun] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Round weight processed :------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Monthly : Cumulative : Price per pound 1/ :------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : :2013 as: : :2013 as: : :Change : : :percent: : :percent: : : from Month : 2012 : 2013 :of 2012: 2012 : 2013 :of 2012: 2012 : 2013 : 2012 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 pounds percent 1,000 pounds percent ------ dollars ------ : January ...:25,843 29,458 114 25,843 29,458 114 1.248 0.819 -0.429 February ..:26,950 29,959 111 52,793 59,417 113 1.229 0.822 -0.407 March .....:28,098 80,891 1.201 April .....:22,463 103,354 1.167 May .......:25,009 128,363 1.038 June ......:23,938 152,301 0.934 July ......:25,056 177,357 0.843 August ....:24,886 202,243 0.798 September .:24,535 226,778 0.793 October ...:28,596 255,374 0.803 November ..:22,124 277,498 0.822 December ..:22,653 300,151 0.830 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Quantity processed by major processors and the prices paid for fish delivered to the processing plant's door. Price includes charges for any services provided by the processing plant, such as seining and hauling. Price also includes any discounts or premiums for size or quality, but does not include adjustments based on year-end settlements. Processed Farm-Raised Catfish Sales Volume and Average Price by Month - United States: 2012 and 2013 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Sales volume : Average price 2/ Item 1/ :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : February : January : February : February : January : February : 2012 : 2013 : 2013 : 2012 : 2013 : 2013 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : ------------ 1,000 pounds ------------ ------------- dollars per pound ------------ : Fresh fish : Whole : Round and gutted ...........: 1,136 1,709 1,263 1.80 1.47 1.45 Whole dressed ..............: 1,187 1,150 1,217 2.94 2.19 2.13 Total ......................: 2,323 2,859 2,480 2.44 1.81 1.83 : Other : Steaks .....................: 45 79 57 3.54 2.82 2.91 Nuggets ....................: 446 433 488 1.82 1.54 1.53 Other ......................: 24 18 21 4.77 4.29 4.61 Total ......................: 515 530 566 2.11 1.82 1.78 : Fillets ......................: 2,349 2,372 2,543 4.68 3.70 3.68 : Total fresh ..................: 5,187 5,761 5,589 3.42 2.59 2.67 : Frozen fish : Whole dressed ................: 634 574 574 2.94 2.77 2.73 : Other : Steaks .....................: 56 45 39 3.15 2.64 2.58 Nuggets ....................: 1,943 2,035 1,841 1.39 1.43 1.45 Other ......................: 645 882 680 4.09 3.58 3.31 Total ......................: 2,644 2,962 2,560 2.09 2.09 1.96 : Fillets ......................: 5,982 6,707 6,826 4.25 3.20 3.15 : Total frozen .................: 9,260 10,243 9,960 3.54 2.85 2.82 : Fresh and frozen fish : Whole : Round and gutted ...........: 1,136 1,709 1,263 1.80 1.47 1.45 Whole dressed ..............: 1,821 1,724 1,791 2.94 2.38 2.32 Total ......................: 2,957 3,433 3,054 2.54 1.97 2.00 : Other : Steaks .....................: 101 124 96 3.32 2.75 2.78 Nuggets ....................: 2,389 2,468 2,329 1.47 1.45 1.47 Other ......................: 669 900 701 4.11 3.59 3.35 Total ......................: 3,159 3,492 3,126 2.09 2.05 1.93 : Fillets ......................: 8,331 9,079 9,369 4.37 3.33 3.29 : Total fresh and frozen fish ..: 14,447 16,004 15,549 3.50 2.76 2.77 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1/ For further detail, please refer to the terms and definitions section of this report. 2/ Gross value FOB plant. Processed Farm-Raised Catfish Ending Inventory by Month - United States: 2012 and 2013 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Ending inventory Item 1/ :----------------------------------------------------- : February 2012 : January 2013 : February 2013 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 pounds : Fresh fish : Whole : Round and gutted .............: (D) (D) (D) Whole dressed ................: (D) (D) (D) Total ........................: 155 204 182 : Other : Steaks .......................: (D) (D) (D) Nuggets ......................: 48 72 55 Other ........................: (D) (D) (D) Total ........................: 56 79 60 : Fillets ........................: 316 332 331 : Total fresh ....................: 527 615 573 : Frozen fish : Whole dressed ..................: 372 690 693 : Other : Steaks .......................: (D) (D) (D) Nuggets ......................: 1,274 647 649 Other ........................: (D) (D) (D) Total ........................: 1,684 1,087 1,075 : Fillets ........................: 9,298 5,458 4,777 : Total frozen ...................: 11,354 7,235 6,545 : Fresh and frozen fish : Whole : Round and gutted .............: (D) (D) (D) Whole dressed ................: (D) (D) (D) Total ........................: 527 894 875 : Other : Steaks .......................: (D) (D) (D) Nuggets ......................: 1,322 719 704 Other ........................: (D) (D) (D) Total ........................: 1,740 1,166 1,135 : Fillets ........................: 9,614 5,790 5,108 : Total fresh and frozen fish ....: 11,881 7,850 7,118 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations. 1/ For further detail, please refer to the terms and definitions section of this report. Catfish Imports by Month - United States: 2012-2013 [Data compiled by the United States Census Bureau. Blank data cells indicate estimation period has not yet begun] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Imports :----------------------------------------------------------- : Ictalurus spp. : Total 1/ :----------------------------------------------------------- : : : 2013 as : : : 2013 as : : : percent : : : percent Month : 2012 : 2013 : of 2012 : 2012 : 2013 : of 2012 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 pounds percent 1,000 pounds percent : January .......: 2,028 861 42 25,551 19,369 76 February ......: 1,317 15,238 March .........: 528 15,280 April .........: 534 19,756 May ...........: 345 20,100 June ..........: 352 18,847 July ..........: 73 22,604 August ........: 84 23,655 September .....: 202 22,868 October .......: 202 20,217 November ......: 331 19,220 December ......: 432 14,062 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Includes freshwater imports for consumption of "Ictalurus" spp., "Pangasius" spp., and other catfish of the order Siluriformes. Catfish Exports by Month - United States: 2012-2013 [Data compiled by the United States Census Bureau. Blank data cells indicate estimation period has not yet begun] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Exports :----------------------------------------------------------- : Fresh : Frozen :----------------------------------------------------------- : : : 2013 as : : : 2013 as : : : percent : : : percent Month : 2012 : 2013 : of 2012 : 2012 : 2013 : of 2012 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 pounds percent 1,000 pounds percent : January .......: 85.2 377.3 443 2.7 46.0 1,704 February ......: 120.2 11.1 March .........: 129.5 68.0 April .........: 234.5 29.7 May ...........: 83.6 4.6 June ..........: 82.7 10.9 July ..........: 114.1 5.3 August ........: 95.2 5.5 September .....: 113.5 57.7 October .......: 141.2 8.5 November ......: 64.9 49.2 December ......: 79.0 22.6 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Statistical Methodology Survey Procedures: Survey data for catfish processing are collected from approximately 17 processors. All participating processors must meet the minimum criteria of having a capacity to process at least 2,000 pounds live weight of catfish per 8-hour shift. The survey is conducted entirely by National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Headquarters staff in Washington, D.C. However, NASS field offices are responsible for informing Headquarters staff of any new processing operations in their state to ensure complete survey coverage. Processors are contacted either by mail, telephone, fax or internet. Diligent effort is made to ensure that all operations are accounted for in the estimate. Estimating Procedures: The Catfish Processing report refers strictly to farm- raised fish and excludes wild captured fish. Prior to summarization, questionnaires are compared with the previous month's reports for comparable placement of data, reasonable price levels, and a reasonable inventory carryover given the sales and processing totals reported. Estimates are made for those processors whose reports are not available in time to be included in the release. These plants are identified by an asterisk on page 6 of this release. Estimates are normally based on the processor's previous report and current conditions. Published totals are a straight summation of the individual reports and estimated data. Price items are weighted by the associated volumes to compute weighted average prices. The published price for total whole fish, however, reflects an adjustment to the round and gutted only price to bring it to an equivalent dressed weight price. If a plant uses a fiscal accounting system, prorating is used to convert reported data to a calendar month basis. Only national level estimates are published due to the limited number of plants involved. One unique feature of the Catfish Processing report is the listing of cooperating processors by name on each month's release. This feature originally was used to solicit industry cooperation in maintaining coverage, but it has continued because of the processors' overall acceptance of this policy. Import and export data for catfish, which are compiled by the United States Census Bureau, are also included in this report. Revision Policy: Revisions may be necessary in the previous month's publication based on late reports received from plants. These revisions are made to improve month to month relationships. In February, all monthly estimates for the previous year are reviewed and subject to revision. This review is primarily based on data that may have been received after the original estimates were published. Reliability: Estimates are based on a census of all known active processors and, therefore, have no sampling variability. However, estimates may be subject to errors such as omissions, duplication, and mistakes in reporting, recording, and processing of the data. These errors are minimized through strict quality controls in the edit and summarization process, and a careful review of all reported data for consistency and reasonableness. Processing data were compiled in cooperation with the following processors: America's Catch, Inc. Carolina Classics Catfish, LLC Heartland Catfish Lake's Farm Raised Catfish, Inc. Consolidated Catfish Producers, LLC Pride of the Pond Delta Supreme Fish Processors Prime Line, Inc. Fish Breeders of Idaho, Inc. Seabrook Seafood, Inc. Freshwater Farms Products, LLC Simmons Farm Raised Catfish, Inc. Guidry Catfish, Inc. SouthFresh Farms Haring's Pride Catfish Superior Fish Products Harvest Select Catfish, Inc. Terms and Definitions Used for Catfish Processing Estimates Average Price Paid to Producers: Refers to the price of fish delivered to the processing plant door. Price includes charges for any services provided by the processing plant, such as seining and hauling, but does not include any adjustments based on year-end settlements. Fillets: Boned sides of the fish, cut lengthwise away from the backbone. Includes regular, shank, and strip fillets; excludes any breaded products. Fresh Fish: Fish intended for immediate consumption. Also referred to as ice- packed. Frozen Fish: Fish which are individually quick frozen and glazed (IQF) or individually bagged and bulk frozen. Ictalurus spp.: All species under this genus, which includes channel catfish, blue catfish, and other catfish species. Nuggets: Small fillets cuts from below the rib section of the fish and usually includes weight of breading and added ingredients. Other Products: Includes steaks, nuggets, and all other products not separately reported including the weight of breading and added ingredients. Pangasius spp.: All species under this genus, which includes basa, tra, stuchi catfish, and other catfish species. Round & Gutted Only: Fish with no processing done or viscera only removed. Round Weight: The term for a fish's live weight. Siluriformes: The scientific order which contains all families of catfish. Steaks: Cross-section cuts from larger dressed fish. Strips: Finger size pieces of fish cut from fillets and usually includes breading or added ingredients. Whole Dressed: Weight of whole fish with only head, viscera, and skin removed. Generally, 60 percent of the live weight remains as dressed fish. Information Contacts Listed below are the commodity specialists in the Livestock Branch of the National Agricultural Statistics Service to contact for additional information. E-mail inquiries may be sent to nass@nass.usda.gov Dan Kerestes, Chief, Livestock Branch ................................... (202) 720-3570 Bruce Boess, Head, Poultry and Specialty Commodities Section ............ (202) 720-4447 Cody Brokmeyer - Poultry Slaughter, Turkey Hatchery, Turkeys Raised .. (202) 690-3237 David Colwell - Cold Storage ......................................... (202) 720-8784 LaKeya Jones - Catfish Processing, Catfish Production, Trout Production, Census of Aquaculture, Honey, Mink .......................... (202) 720-0585 Dawn Keen - Egg Products ............................................. (202) 720-4448 Kim Linonis - Layers, Eggs ........................................... (202) 690-8632 Miste Salmon - Broiler Hatchery, Chicken Hatchery .................... (202) 720-3244 Access to NASS Reports For your convenience, you may access NASS reports and products the following ways: All reports are available electronically, at no cost, on the NASS web site: http://www.nass.usda.gov Both national and state specific reports are available via a free e- mail subscription. 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