HDR1012000170010223961500CATFISH PROCESSING HDR2012000170010223961500CATF HIGHLIGHTS Released February 23, 1996, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Catfish Processing" call Jim Brewster at (202) 720-8784, office hours 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET. For assistance with general agricultural statistics, information about NASS, its products or services, contact the NASS Information Hotline at 1-800-727-9540 or E-mail: NASS@NASS.USDA.GOV. Catfish Processing Down 1 Percent Farm-raised catfish processed during January totaled 38.5 million pounds round weight, down 1 percent from January 1995. The average price paid to producers was 77 cents per pound for January 1996, one cent below both last month and a year ago. Net pounds of processed fish sold during January totaled 20.3 million pounds, an increase of 6 percent from the comparable month in 1995. Sales of fresh fish, at 8.21 million pounds, were up 13 percent from January 1995 and represented 40 percent of total sales. Frozen fish sales, at 12.1 million pounds, were up 2 percent from a year ago and accounted for the remaining 60 percent of total fish sales. Sales of whole fish represented 25 percent of the total, fillets accounted for 54 percent, and the remaining 21 percent were mostly, steaks, nuggets, and value added products. Freshwater catfish imports during November 1995 totaled 35 thousand pounds, down sharply from the 491 thousand pounds imported the previous year. Sixty percent of imports were from Brazil and the remaining 40 percent came from Guyana. No exports were reported for November 1995. December data were not available at time of this release. If available they will be included in the release on March 23, 1996. Import and export data are compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Census. 1995 Catfish Processing Up 2 Percent Farm-raised catfish processed during 1995 totaled 447 million pounds, 2 percent above the 439 million pounds processed in 1994. The average price paid to producers for 1995 was 78.6 cents per pound, up slightly from the 78.4 cents average of 1994. Net pounds of processed fish sold in 1995 totaled 227 million pounds, an increase of 5 percent from the 1994 sales of 216 million pounds. Sales of fresh fish, at 89.7 million pounds, represented 40 percent of total sales and were up 3 percent from 1994. Frozen fish sales, at 137 million pounds, were up 6 percent and accounted for the remaining 60 percent of total sales. The 1995 average price received by processors for total fresh was $2.24 per pound, 1 cent above the $2.23 average in 1994. Total frozen fish at $2.51 per pound were pound, were 2 cents above the 1994 average price of $2.49. Aq 1 (1-96) HDR2012000170010223961500FARM-RAISED CATF:QUANT.PRCSD&PRCS PD, US Farm-Raised Catfish: Quantity Processed and Prices Paid to Producers by Major Processors, and United States Imports, 1995-96 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Round Weight Processed : Average Price : Imports :------------------------------------: Paid to : of Month : Monthly : Cumulative : Producers 1/ : Catfish 2/ :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1995 : 1996 : 1995 : 1996 : 1995 : 1996 : 1994 : 1995 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : ---------- 1,000 Pounds -------- Dollars Per Pound (000) Pounds : Jan : 38,807 38,475 38,807 38,475 .78 .77 535 61 Feb : 38,515 77,322 .79 102 49 Mar : 42,200 119,522 .79 163 172 Apr : 36,588 156,110 .79 57 181 May : 37,030 193,140 .79 459 384 Jun : 36,047 229,187 .79 362 203 Jul : 35,800 264,987 .79 261 294 Aug : 38,827 303,814 .79 342 245 Sep : 37,634 341,448 .78 322 402 Oct : 39,456 380,904 .78 200 219 Nov : 34,119 415,023 .78 491 35 Dec : 31,863 446,886 .78 192 3/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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 settlements. 2/ Data furnished by U.S. Bureau of Census. 3/ Data not available at publication time, due to Government furlough. HDR2012000170010223961500CATF PRCSRS:SLS VOL,AVG PRC&ENDNG INVEN. Catfish Processors: Sales Volume, Average Price, and Ending Inventory, United States, January 1995-96 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Sales : Average : Ending : Volume : Price : Inventory Item :------------------------------------------------------- : 1995 : 1996 : 1995 : 1996 : 1995 : 1996 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : 1,000 Pounds Dollars Per Pound 1,000 Pounds Fresh : Whole Fish : Round & Gutted : Only : 613 931 1.08 1.07 1/ 1/ Whole Dressed : 2,608 2,742 1.82 1.80 1/ 1/ Total : 3,221 3,673 1.69 1.63 262 262 : Other : Steaks : 116 94 2.09 2.12 1/ 1/ Nuggets : 690 823 1.38 1.40 61 98 Other 2/ : 192 180 3.26 3.27 1/ 1/ Total : 998 1,097 1.82 1.77 83 108 : Fillets 3/ : 3,054 3,439 2.89 2.88 393 461 : Total Fresh : 7,273 8,209 2.22 2.17 738 831 : Frozen : Whole Fish : Round & Gutted : Only : Whole Dressed : 1,573 1,377 1.98 1.94 1,626 1,191 Total : 1,573 1,377 1.98 1.94 1,626 1,191 : Other : Steaks : 222 161 1.77 1.83 1/ 1/ Nuggets : 1,791 1,972 1.27 1.32 1,111 793 Other 2/ : 1,718 1,086 2.58 2.71 1/ 1/ Total : 3,731 3,219 1.91 1.81 2,738 2,499 : Fillets 3/ : 6,614 7,517 2.83 2.79 5,863 5,649 : Total Frozen : 11,918 12,113 2.43 2.43 10,227 9,339 : Total Fresh & Frozen : 19,191 20,322 2.35 2.33 10,965 10,170 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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. HDR2012000170010223961500FRSH & FRZN ANNL SLS VOL, MNTH, US Catfish Processors: Fresh and Frozen Annual Sales Volume by Month, United States, 1995 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Whole Fish : Other : : :-------------------------------------------------------: : Month : Rnd & : : : : : : :Fillets: Total :Gutted : Whole : Total :Steaks :Nuggets: Other : Total : 2/ : Sales : Only :Dressed: : : : 1/ : : : ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Pounds Fresh : : Jan : 613 2,608 3,221 116 690 192 998 3,054 7,273 Feb : 756 2,617 3,373 109 801 205 1,115 3,281 7,769 Mar : 1,031 2,825 3,856 115 931 391 1,437 3,646 8,939 Apr : 753 2,333 3,086 123 797 408 1,328 3,369 7,783 May : 665 2,332 2,997 3/ 728 3/ 1,234 3,350 7,581 Jun : 616 2,287 2,903 3/ 721 3/ 1,172 3,246 7,321 Jul : 649 2,302 2,951 111 669 154 934 3,115 7,000 Aug : 714 2,470 3,184 102 731 202 1,035 3,348 7,567 Sep : 663 2,445 3,108 3/ 723 3/ 1,067 3,162 7,337 Oct : 665 2,501 3,166 3/ 791 3/ 1,166 3,295 7,627 Nov : 739 2,223 2,962 3/ 693 3/ 1,049 2,897 6,908 Dec : 728 2,119 2,847 3/ 662 3/ 938 2,845 6,630 : Total: 8,592 29,062 37,654 3/ 8,937 3/ 13,473 38,608 89,735 : Frozen : Jan : 1,573 1,573 222 1,791 1,718 3,731 6,614 11,918 Feb : 1,676 1,676 207 1,454 2,249 3,910 6,653 12,239 Mar : 1,487 1,487 191 1,447 2,319 3,957 7,319 12,763 Apr : 1,438 1,438 194 1,094 1,693 2,981 6,447 10,866 May : 1,371 1,371 238 1,276 1,826 3,340 6,877 11,588 Jun : 1,432 1,432 163 1,333 1,737 3,233 6,645 11,310 Jul : 1,320 1,320 211 1,350 1,444 3,005 6,832 11,157 Aug : 1,477 1,477 199 1,716 1,642 3,557 7,586 12,620 Sep : 1,322 1,322 210 1,341 1,451 3,002 6,999 11,323 Oct : 1,175 1,175 169 1,756 1,578 3,503 7,615 12,293 Nov : 999 999 209 1,361 1,060 2,630 6,143 9,772 Dec : 959 959 196 1,596 904 2,696 5,733 9,388 : Total: 16,229 16,229 2,409 17,515 19,621 39,545 81,463 137,237 : Fresh &: Frozen: Jan : 613 4,181 4,794 338 2,481 1,910 4,729 9,668 19,191 Feb : 756 4,293 5,049 316 2,255 2,454 5,025 9,934 20,008 Mar : 1,031 4,312 5,343 306 2,378 2,710 5,394 10,965 21,702 Apr : 753 3,771 4,524 317 1,891 2,101 4,309 9,816 18,649 May : 665 3,703 4,368 3/ 2,004 3/ 4,574 10,227 19,169 Jun : 616 3,719 4,335 3/ 2,054 3/ 4,405 9,891 18,631 Jul : 649 3,622 4,271 322 2,019 1,598 3,939 9,947 18,157 Aug : 714 3,947 4,661 301 2,447 1,844 4,592 10,934 20,187 Sep : 663 3,767 4,430 3/ 2,064 3/ 4,069 10,161 18,660 Oct : 665 3,676 4,341 3/ 2,547 3/ 4,669 10,910 19,920 Nov : 739 3,222 3,961 3/ 2,054 3/ 3,679 9,040 16,680 Dec : 728 3,078 3,806 3/ 2,258 3/ 3,634 8,578 16,018 : Total: 8,592 45,291 53,883 3/ 26,452 3/ 53,018 120,071 226,972 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Includes all products not already reported, such as nuggets, including weight of breading, and added ingredients. 2/ Includes regular, shank, and strip fillets; excludes any breaded products. 3/ Not published to avoid disclosure of individual operations. HDR2012000170010223961500CATF PRCSRS:FRSH & FRZN AVG SLS PRC Catfish Processors: Fresh and Frozen Average Sales Price by Month, United States, 1995 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Whole Fish : Other : : :-------------------------------------------------------: : Month : Rnd & : : : : : : :Fillets: Total :Gutted : Whole : Total :Steaks :Nuggets: Other : Total : 2/ : Sales : Only :Dressed: : : : 1/ : : : ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dollars per Pound Fresh : Jan : 1.08 1.82 1.69 2.09 1.38 3.02 1.82 2.89 2.22 Feb : 1.08 1.85 1.69 2.11 1.42 3.26 1.80 2.90 2.22 Mar : 1.09 1.87 1.68 2.13 1.47 3.19 1.93 2.92 2.23 Apr : 1.07 1.87 1.69 2.09 1.46 3.28 1.99 2.93 2.28 May : 1.03 1.86 1.69 3/ 1.45 3/ 1.99 2.90 2.27 Jun : 1.07 1.86 1.71 3/ 1.45 3/ 1.97 2.86 2.26 Jul : 1.08 1.85 1.70 2.11 1.43 3.34 1.81 2.91 2.25 Aug : 1.07 1.85 1.69 2.11 1.42 3.41 1.86 2.90 2.25 Sep : 1.07 1.83 1.68 3/ 1.40 3/ 1.84 2.91 2.23 Oct : 1.07 1.81 1.67 3/ 1.39 3/ 1.84 2.92 2.23 Nov : 1.06 1.80 1.63 3/ 1.39 3/ 1.87 2.90 2.20 Dec : 1.07 1.82 1.65 3/ 1.38 3/ 1.81 2.89 2.20 : Avg : 1.07 1.84 1.68 3/ 1.42 3/ 1.88 2.90 2.24 : Frozen : Jan : 1.98 1.98 1.77 1.27 2.58 1.91 2.83 2.43 Feb : 2.02 2.02 1.85 1.29 2.69 2.13 2.86 2.51 Mar : 2.02 2.02 1.85 1.36 2.68 2.16 2.86 2.55 Apr : 1.97 1.97 1.80 1.36 2.69 2.14 2.88 2.55 May : 2.03 2.03 1.89 1.32 2.62 2.07 2.90 2.56 Jun : 2.04 2.04 1.86 1.27 2.65 2.04 2.81 2.49 Jul : 2.01 2.01 1.82 1.29 2.67 1.99 2.85 2.52 Aug : 2.00 2.00 1.88 1.24 2.85 2.02 2.86 2.52 Sep : 2.02 2.02 1.87 1.26 2.69 2.00 2.85 2.53 Oct : 1.96 1.96 1.89 1.27 2.54 1.87 2.83 2.47 Nov : 1.95 1.95 1.85 1.25 2.71 1.89 2.82 2.48 Dec : 2.01 2.01 1.79 1.30 2.74 1.81 2.82 2.45 : Avg : 2.00 2.00 1.84 1.29 2.67 2.01 2.85 2.51 : Fresh & : Frozen : Jan : 1.08 1.88 1.79 1.88 1.30 2.65 1.89 2.85 2.35 Feb : 1.08 1.92 1.80 1.94 1.34 2.73 2.06 2.87 2.40 Mar : 1.09 1.92 1.77 1.96 1.40 2.72 2.10 2.88 2.42 Apr : 1.07 1.91 1.78 1.91 1.40 2.75 2.09 2.90 2.44 May : 1.03 1.92 1.80 3/ 1.37 3/ 2.05 2.90 2.45 Jun : 1.07 1.93 1.82 3/ 1.33 3/ 2.02 2.83 2.41 Jul : 1.08 1.91 1.80 1.97 1.34 2.73 1.95 2.87 2.42 Aug : 1.07 1.91 1.79 1.96 1.29 2.90 1.98 2.87 2.42 Sep : 1.07 1.90 1.78 3/ 1.31 3/ 1.96 2.87 2.41 Oct : 1.07 1.86 1.75 3/ 1.31 3/ 1.86 2.86 2.38 Nov : 1.06 1.85 1.71 3/ 1.30 3/ 1.88 2.85 2.36 Dec : 1.07 1.88 1.74 3/ 1.32 3/ 1.81 2.84 2.35 : Avg : 1.07 1.90 1.78 3/ 1.33 3/ 1.98 2.87 2.40 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Includes all products not already reported, such as nuggets, including weight of breading, and added ingredients. 2/ Includes regular, shank, and strip fillets; excludes any breaded products. 3/ Not published to avoid disclosure of indvidual operations. HDR2012000170010223961500CATF PRCSRS:FRSH & FRZN END-OF-MNTH INVEN. Catfish Processors: Fresh and Frozen End-of-Month Inventory by Month, United States, 1995 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Whole Fish : Other : : :-------------------------------------------------------: : Month : Rnd & : : : : : : :Fillets: Total :Gutted : Whole : Total :Steaks :Nuggets: Other : Total : 2/ : Sales : Only :Dressed: : : : 1/ : : : ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Pounds Fresh : Jan : 3/ 3/ 262 3/ 61 3/ 83 393 738 Feb : 3/ 3/ 239 3/ 76 3/ 86 369 694 Mar : 3/ 3/ 286 3/ 95 3/ 102 424 812 Apr : 3/ 3/ 215 3/ 104 3/ 107 315 637 May : 3/ 3/ 219 6 96 9 111 399 729 Jun : 3/ 3/ 282 3/ 124 3/ 136 425 843 Jul : 3/ 3/ 375 3/ 109 3/ 118 488 981 Aug : 3/ 3/ 304 3/ 103 3/ 114 466 884 Sep : 3/ 3/ 254 5 111 3 119 499 872 Oct : 3/ 3/ 264 11 110 3 124 470 858 Nov : 3/ 3/ 190 3/ 77 3/ 85 457 732 Dec : 3/ 3/ 166 3/ 86 3/ 93 394 653 : Frozen : Jan : 1,626 1,626 3/ 1,111 3/ 2,738 5,863 10,227 Feb : 1,891 1,891 3/ 782 3/ 2,604 5,235 9,730 Mar : 2,307 2,307 3/ 619 3/ 2,175 5,242 9,724 Apr : 2,061 2,061 3/ 725 3/ 2,191 5,051 9,303 May : 1,954 1,954 3/ 806 3/ 2,190 4,656 8,800 Jun : 1,641 1,641 3/ 917 3/ 2,286 4,271 8,198 Jul : 1,563 1.563 151 947 1,262 2,360 4,368 8,291 Aug : 1,357 1,357 3/ 792 3/ 1,980 4,535 7,872 Sep : 1,159 1,159 3/ 836 3/ 1,519 4,904 7,582 Oct : 1,166 1,166 3/ 800 3/ 2,198 5,879 9,243 Nov : 1,187 1,187 3/ 991 3/ 2,619 6,458 10,264 Dec : 1,186 1,186 3/ 1,003 3/ 2,828 6,242 10,256 : Fresh & : Frozen : Jan : 3/ 3/ 1,888 3/ 1,172 3/ 2,821 6,256 10,965 Feb : 3/ 3/ 2,130 3/ 858 3/ 2,690 5,604 10,424 Mar : 3/ 3/ 2,593 3/ 714 3/ 2,277 5,666 10,536 Apr : 3/ 3/ 2,276 3/ 829 3/ 2,298 5,366 9,940 May : 3/ 3/ 2,173 3/ 902 3/ 2,301 5,055 9,529 Jun : 3/ 3/ 1,923 3/ 1,041 3/ 2,422 4,696 9,041 Jul : 3/ 3/ 1,938 3/ 1,056 3/ 2,478 4,856 9,272 Aug : 3/ 3/ 1,661 3/ 895 3/ 2,094 5,001 8,756 Sep : 3/ 3/ 1,413 3/ 947 3/ 1,638 5,403 8,454 Oct : 3/ 3/ 1,430 3/ 910 3/ 2,322 6,349 10,101 Nov : 3/ 3/ 1,377 3/ 1,068 3/ 2,704 6,915 10,996 Dec : 3/ 3/ 1,352 3/ 1,089 3/ 2,921 6,636 10,909 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Includes all products not already reported, such as nuggets, including weight of breading, and added ingredients. 2/ Includes regular, shank, and strip fillets; excludes any breaded products. 3/ Not published to avoid disclosure of individual operations. HDR2012000170010223961500CATF PRCSNG EST., DEF., NXT RLSE&EEO STMNT 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 Guidry Catfish Processors, Inc. Amite River Industries Harvest Select Aqua Farm Catfish, Inc. Heartland Catfish Carolina Classics Catfish, Inc. Lake's Farm Raised Catfish, Inc. Confish, Inc. Morning Fresh Foods Corbin Fish Farm Pride of the Pond Delta Pride Catfish, Inc. Prime Line Catfish Co. Dorey Fish Co. Seabrook Seafood, Inc. Farm Fresh Catfish Co. Simmons Farm-Raised Fast Catfish Southern Farm Fish Processors Fish Breeders of Idaho Southern Pride Franklin Catfish Southfresh Farms Freshwater Farms, Inc. Superior Fish Processors The next "Catfish Processing" report will be released at 3 p.m. ET on March 22, 1996. 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.