Catfish Processing ISSN: 1948-2701 Released May 20, 2011, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Catfish Processing Down 36 Percent from Last Year Farm-raised catfish processed during April 2011 totaled 23.6 million pounds round weight, down 36 percent from April 2010. The average price paid to producers was $1.14 per pound for April 2011, up 6.6 cents from last month and 33.7 cents above a year ago. Net pounds of processed fish sold during April 2011 totaled 14.0 million pounds, down 24 percent from the comparable month in 2010. Sales of fresh fish, at 5.16 million pounds, were down 28 percent from April 2010 and represented 37 percent of total sales. Frozen fish sales, at 8.82 million pounds, were down 22 percent from a year ago and accounted for the remaining 63 percent of total fish sales. Sales of whole fish represented 20 percent of the total fish sold, fillets accounted for 58 percent, and the remaining 22 percent were mostly steaks, nuggets, and value added products. The total end of the month inventory decreased 22 percent from last month and was down 58 percent from a year ago. The total fresh and frozen average price for April 2011 was $3.37, up 89 cents from a year ago. The April 2011 average price received by processors for total fresh fish was $3.24 per pound, up 86 cents from last year. Prices for fresh whole fish were $2.28 per pound, up 73 cents from April 2010. Prices for fresh fillets were up $1.21 from a year ago at $4.43 per pound. Total frozen fish averaged $3.44 per pound, up 90 cents from April 2010. Prices for frozen whole dressed fish were up 68 cents at $2.92 and frozen fillets at $4.07 per pound were up $1.14 from a year ago. Imports for consumption of Ictalurus spp., Pangasius spp., and other catfish of the order Siluriformes for March 2011 totaled 9.13 million pounds, up 20 percent from the amount imported in March 2010. Imports were from China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Ictalurus spp. imports totaled 211 thousand pounds, which were from China and Indonesia. Fresh catfish fillet exports totaled 42.3 thousand pounds, with 40.8 thousand pounds going to Canada and the rest going to Equatorial Guinea. Exports of frozen catfish fillets reported for March 2011 totaled 2.2 thousand pounds, going to Australia and Japan. 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: 2010-2011 [Blank cells indicate estimation period has not yet begun.] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Round weight processed :------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Monthly : Cumulative : Price per pound 1/ :------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : :2011 as: : :2011 as: : :Change : : :percent: : :percent: : : from Month : 2010 : 2011 :of 2010: 2010 : 2011 :of 2010: 2010 : 2011 : 2010 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 pounds percent 1,000 pounds percent ------ dollars ------ : January ...:40,042 35,076 88 40,042 35,076 88 0.764 0.931 0.167 February ..:40,977 27,782 68 81,019 62,858 78 0.765 1.003 0.238 March .....:46,650 30,372 65 127,669 93,230 73 0.785 1.075 0.290 April .....:37,111 23,605 64 164,780 116,835 71 0.804 1.141 0.337 May .......:38,244 203,024 0.796 June ......:38,656 241,680 0.786 July ......:39,302 280,982 0.788 August ....:39,231 320,213 0.790 September .:39,494 359,707 0.816 October ...:40,455 400,162 0.832 November ..:36,683 436,845 0.841 December ..:34,838 471,683 0.861 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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: 2010 and 2011 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Sales volume : Average price 2/ Item 1/ :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : April : March : April : April : March : April : 2010 : 2011 : 2011 : 2010 : 2011 : 2011 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : ------------ 1,000 pounds ------------ ------------- dollars per pound ------------ : Fresh fish : Whole : Round and gutted ...........: 1,591 1,353 1,224 1.13 1.64 1.73 Whole dressed ..............: 1,455 1,261 1,035 1.94 2.63 2.79 Total ......................: 3,046 2,614 2,259 1.55 2.17 2.28 : Other : Steaks .....................: 96 58 47 3.03 2.92 3.13 Nuggets ....................: 511 460 470 1.38 1.78 1.88 Other ......................: 61 38 34 3.45 4.28 4.41 Total ......................: 668 556 551 1.81 2.07 2.14 : Fillets ......................: 3,495 2,880 2,351 3.22 4.18 4.43 : Total fresh ..................: 7,209 6,050 5,161 2.38 3.12 3.24 : Frozen fish : Whole dressed ................: 685 816 595 2.24 2.68 2.92 : Other : Steaks .....................: 60 71 53 2.34 2.90 3.04 Nuggets ....................: 2,188 2,203 1,770 1.19 1.48 1.56 Other ......................: 717 1,443 623 2.84 3.82 3.47 Total ......................: 2,965 3,717 2,446 1.61 2.42 2.08 : Fillets ......................: 7,652 7,401 5,777 2.93 3.75 4.07 : Total frozen .................: 11,302 11,934 8,818 2.54 3.26 3.44 : Fresh and frozen fish : Whole : Round and gutted ...........: 1,591 1,353 1,224 1.13 1.64 1.73 Whole dressed ..............: 2,140 2,077 1,630 2.04 2.65 2.84 Total ......................: 3,731 3,430 2,854 1.68 2.29 2.41 : Other : Steaks .....................: 156 129 100 2.76 2.91 3.08 Nuggets ....................: 2,699 2,663 2,240 1.23 1.53 1.63 Other ......................: 778 1,481 657 2.89 3.83 3.52 Total ......................: 3,633 4,273 2,997 1.65 2.37 2.09 : Fillets ......................: 11,147 10,281 8,128 3.02 3.87 4.17 : Total fresh and frozen fish ..: 18,511 17,984 13,979 2.48 3.21 3.37 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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: 2010 and 2011 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Ending inventory Item 1/ :----------------------------------------------------- : April 2010 : March 2011 : April 2011 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 pounds : Fresh fish : Whole : Round and gutted .............: (D) (D) (D) Whole dressed ................: (D) (D) (D) Total ........................: 153 123 63 : Other : Steaks .......................: (D) (D) (D) Nuggets ......................: 72 73 45 Other ........................: (D) (D) (D) Total ........................: 79 75 46 : Fillets ........................: 409 313 209 : Total fresh ....................: 641 511 318 : Frozen fish : Whole dressed ..................: 943 529 376 : Other : Steaks .......................: (D) (D) (D) Nuggets ......................: 1,877 1,751 1,587 Other ........................: (D) (D) (D) Total ........................: 2,521 2,142 1,779 : Fillets ........................: 7,752 3,286 2,560 : Total frozen ...................: 11,216 5,957 4,715 : Fresh and frozen fish : Whole : Round and gutted .............: (D) (D) (D) Whole dressed ................: (D) (D) (D) Total ........................: 1,096 652 439 : Other : Steaks .......................: (D) (D) (D) Nuggets ......................: 1,949 1,824 1,632 Other ........................: (D) (D) (D) Total ........................: 2,600 2,217 1,825 : Fillets ........................: 8,161 3,599 2,769 : Total fresh and frozen fish ....: 11,857 6,468 5,033 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (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: 2010-2011 [Data compiled by the United States Census Bureau. Blank data cells indicate estimation period has not yet begun] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Imports :----------------------------------------------------------- : Ictalurus spp. : Total 1/ :----------------------------------------------------------- : : : 2011 as : : : 2011 as : : : percent : : : percent Month : 2010 : 2011 : of 2010 : 2010 : 2011 : of 2010 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 pounds percent 1,000 pounds percent : January .......: 3,091 1,301 42 14,612 16,276 111 February ......: 2,150 1,015 47 10,421 13,790 132 March .........: 1,179 211 18 7,608 9,133 120 April .........: 1,220 8,804 May ...........: 656 9,971 June ..........: 651 10,293 July ..........: 516 10,268 August ........: 70 9,957 September .....: 195 11,626 October .......: 196 15,046 November ......: 586 12,032 December ......: 1,269 16,897 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Includes freshwater imports for consumption of "Ictalurus" spp., "Pangasius" spp., and other catfish of the order Siluriformes. Catfish Exports by Month - United States: 2010-2011 [Data compiled by the United States Census Bureau. Blank data cells indicate estimation period has not yet begun] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Exports :----------------------------------------------------------- : Fresh : Frozen :----------------------------------------------------------- : : : 2011 as : : : 2011 as : : : percent : : : percent Month : 2010 : 2011 : of 2010 : 2010 : 2011 : of 2010 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 pounds percent 1,000 pounds percent : January .......: 90.4 53.9 60 26.4 10.2 39 February ......: 58.2 56.7 97 33.8 13.2 39 March .........: 165.8 42.3 26 16.5 2.2 13 April .........: 39.5 28.8 May ...........: 47.3 20.5 June ..........: 34.2 14.9 July ..........: 39.5 29.7 August ........: 45.4 3.3 September .....: 38.6 16.4 October .......: 72.5 20.3 November ......: 40.8 6.6 December ......: 45.7 1.3 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Statistical Methodology Survey Procedures: Survey data for catfish processing are collected from approximately 18 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 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 capture 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. Harvest Select Catfish, Inc. Carolina Classics Catfish, LLC Heartland Catfish Consolidated Catfish Producers, LLC Lake's Farm Raised Catfish, Inc. Delta Supreme Fish Processors Pride of the Pond Fish Breeders of Idaho, Inc. Prime Line, Inc. Farm Catch Catfish Processors, Inc. Seabrook Seafood, Inc. Freshwater Farms Products, LLC Simmons Farm Raised Catfish, Inc. Guidry Catfish, Inc. South Fresh Farms Harings Pride Catfish Superior Fish Products 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 Doug Bounds - Poultry Slaughter, Turkey Hatchery, Turkeys Raised ......... (202) 720-3106 David Colwell - Cold Storage ............................................. (202) 720-8784 Kim Linonis - Layers, Eggs ............................................... (202) 690-8632 Troy Marshall - Broiler Hatchery, Chicken Hatchery, Honey ................ (202) 720-3244 Miste Salmon - Catfish Processing, Catfish Production, Trout Production, Census of Aquaculture, Egg Products, Mink .. (202) 720-0585 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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