HDR1012000170010622951500CATFISH PROCESSING HDR2012000170010622951500CATF HIGHLIGHTS Released June 22, 1995, by the Agricultural Statistics Board. Estimates refer to May 1994 and 1995. Catfish Processing Up 8 Percent Farm-raised catfish processed during May totaled 37.0 million pounds round weight, up 8 percent from May 1994. The average price paid to producers was 79 cents per pound for May 1995, the same as the last three months and 1 cent below a year ago. Net pounds of processed fish sold during May totaled 19.2 million pounds, an increase of 6 percent from the comparable month in 1994. Sales of fresh fish, at 7.58 million pounds, were up 3 percent from May 1994 and represented 40 percent of total sales. Frozen fish sales, at 11.6 million pounds, were up 9 percent from a year ago and accounted for the remaining 60 percent of total fish sales. Sales of whole fish represented 23 percent of the total, fillets accounted for 53 percent, and the remaining 24 percent were mostly, steaks, nuggets, and value added products. The May 1995 average price received by processors for total fresh fish was $2.27 per pound, unchanged from last year. Prices for fresh whole fish decreased 4 cents per pound to $1.69. Prices for fresh fillets decreased 1 cent to $2.90 per pound. Total frozen fish averaged $2.56 per pound, compared with $2.54 per pound in May 1994. Prices for frozen whole fish increased 2 cents per pound to $2.03 and frozen fillets at $2.90 per pound were up 3 cents from a year ago. Freshwater catfish imports during April 1995 totaled 181 thousand pounds, over three times the 57 thousand pounds imported the previous year. Eighty-four per- cent of the imports were from Brazil, with the remaining 16 percent coming from Guyana and Vietnam. No exports were reported for April 1995. Import and export data were compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Census. For information call James E. Brewster at (202) 720-8784. Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET. Aq 1 (6-95) HDR2012000170010622951500FARM-RAISED CATFISH: US IMPORTS '94-95 Farm-Raised Catfish: Quantity Processed and Prices Paid to Producers by Major Processors, and United States Imports, 1994-95 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Round Weight Processed : Average Price : Imports :------------------------------------: Paid to : of Month : Monthly : Cumulative : Producers 1/ : Catfish 2/ :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1994 : 1995 : 1994 : 1995 : 1994 : 1995 : 1994 : 1995 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : ---------- 1,000 Pounds -------- Dollars Per Pound (000) Pounds : Jan : 36,714 38,807 36,714 38,807 .74 .78 535 61 Feb : 35,035 38,515 71,749 77,322 .77 .79 102 49 Mar : 40,446 42,200 112,195 119,522 .79 .79 163 172 Apr : 34,494 36,588 146,689 156,110 .80 .79 57 181 May : 34,163 37,030 180,852 193,140 .80 .79 459 Jun : 34,595 215,447 .80 362 Jul : 35,901 251,348 .80 261 Aug : 39,813 291,161 .80 342 Sep : 38,716 329,877 .80 322 Oct : 39,072 368,949 .77 200 Nov : 36,054 405,003 .77 491 Dec : 34,266 439,269 .77 192 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1/ Price for fish delivered to 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 settle- ments. 2/ Data furnished by U.S. Bureau of Census. HDR2012000170010622951500CATFISH PRCSSRS: SLS VOL,AVG PR,&ENDNG INV,US Catfish Processors: Sales Volume, Average Price, and Ending Inventory, United States, May 1994-95 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Sales : Average : Ending : Volume : Price : Inventory Item :------------------------------------------------------- : 1994 : 1995 : 1994 : 1995 : 1994 : 1995 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : 1,000 Pounds Dollars Per Pound 1,000 Pounds Fresh : Whole Fish : Round & Gutted : Only : 665 665 1.14 1.03 1/ 1/ Whole Dressed : 2,511 2,332 1.87 1.86 1/ 1/ Total : 3,176 2,997 1.73 1.69 287 219 : Other : Steaks : 128 1/ 2.08 1/ 6 6 Nuggets : 624 728 1.43 1.45 116 96 Other 2/ : 327 1/ 3.13 1/ 16 9 Total : 1,079 1,234 2.02 1.99 138 111 : Fillets 3/ : 3,103 3,350 2.91 2.90 411 399 : Total Fresh : 7,358 7,581 2.27 2.27 836 729 : Frozen : Whole Fish : Round & Gutted : Only : Whole Dressed : 1,336 1,371 2.01 2.03 714 1,954 Total : 1,336 1,371 2.01 2.03 714 1,954 : Other : Steaks : 225 238 1.87 1.89 83 1/ Nuggets : 1,008 1,276 1.32 1.32 837 806 Other 2/ : 1,538 1,826 2.49 2.62 1,084 1/ Total : 2,771 3,340 2.01 2.07 2,004 2,190 : Fillets 3/ : 6,562 6,877 2.87 2.90 2,332 4,656 : Total Frozen : 10,669 11,588 2.54 2.56 5,050 8,800 : Total Fresh & Frozen : 18,027 19,169 2.43 2.45 5,886 9,529 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1/ Not published to avoid disclosure of individual operations. 2/ Includes all products not already reported, including weight of breading and added ingredients. 3/ Includes regular, shank, and strip fillets; excludes any breaded product. HDR2012000170010622951500CATFISH PRCSSNG ESTIMATES&DEFINITIONS Catfish Processing Estimates Survey Procedures: Survey data for catfish processing are collected from approximately 30 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 NASS Headquarter's staff in Washington, D.C. NASS field offices, however, are responsible for keeping Headquarters informed of any new processing operations in their state to ensure that the survey coverage is as complete as possible. Processors are contacted either by mail or telephone. Diligent effort is made to ensure that all operations are accounted for in the estimate. Estimation 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 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 5 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, proration 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. Generally, individual items are not published if there are less than three plants reporting, or if any one plant has 60 percent or more of the total. 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 frozen catfish fillets, which are compiled by the Department of Commerce, are also included in this report. Reliability: Catfish processing 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. Revision Policy: Revisions may be necessary following a review of late reports received from plants. Revisions of less than 2 percent of the existing published levels of any category will normally not be made. Definitions Used For Catfish Processing: 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. 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. Nuggets - Small fillets cut from below the rib section of the fish. Usually includes breading or added ingredients. Round & Gutted Only - Fish with no processing done or viscera only removed. Round Weight - A term for fish live weight. Steaks - Cross-section cuts from larger dressed fish. Strips - Finger size pieces of fish cut from fillets. 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. Processing data were compiled in cooperation with the following processors: America's Catch Harvest Select Amite River Industries Kueter's Lake Aqua Farm Catfish, Inc. La Louision Arkansas Fresh Catfish Lake's Farm Raised Catfish, Inc. Carolina Classics Catfish, Inc. Limestone Fish Processors Confish, Inc. Pride of the Pond Corbin Fish Farm Prime Line Catfish Co. Delta Pride Catfish, Inc. Saul's Fish Processors Dorey Fish Co. Seabrook Seafood, Inc. Farm Fresh Catfish Co. Simmons Farm-Raised Fish Breeders of Idaho Southern Farm Fish Processors Franklin Catfish Southern Pride Freshwater Farms, Inc. Southfresh Farms Guidry Catfish Processors, Inc. HDR2012000170010622951500NXT RLSE DATE&EEO STMNT The next "Catfish Processing" report will be released at 3 p.m. ET on July 24, 1995. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in its programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, and marital or familial status. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact the USDA Office of Communications at (202) 720-5881 (voice) or (202) 720-7808 (TDD). To file a complaint, write the Secretary of Agriculture, USDA, Washington, D.C., 20250, or call (202) 720-7327 (voice) or (202) 720-1127 (TDD). USDA is an equal employment opportunity employer.