HDR1012000170011023961500 Catfish Processing Released October 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 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. For assistance with general agricultural statistics, information about NASS, its products or services, contact the Agricultural Statistics Hotline at 1-800-727-9540 or E-mail: NASS@NASS.USDA.GOV. Estimates refer to September 1995 and 1996. Catfish Processing Up 3 Percent Farm-raised catfish processed during September totaled 38.8 million pounds round weight, up 3 percent from September 1995. The average price paid to producers was 77 cents per pound for September 1996, one cent below both last month and a year ago. Net pounds of processed fish sold during September totaled 19.6 million pounds, up 5 percent from the comparable month in 1995. Sales of fresh fish, at 7.94 million pounds, were up 8 percent from September 1995 and represented 40 percent of total sales. Frozen fish sales, at 11.7 million pounds, were up 3 percent from a year ago, and accounted for the remaining 60 percent of total fish sales. Sales of whole fish represented 22 percent of the total, fillets accounted for 58 percent, and the remaining 20 percent were mostly, steaks, nuggets, and value added products. The September 1996 average price received by processors for total fresh fish was $2.23 per pound, unchanged from last year. Prices for fresh whole fish were $1.67 per pound, down 1 cent from last year. Prices for fresh fillets were down 6 cents at $2.85 per pound. Total frozen fish averaged $2.45 per pound, 8 cents below September 1995. Prices for frozen whole fish were unchanged at $2.02, while frozen fillets at $2.74 per pound were down 11 cents from $2.85 a year ago. Freshwater catfish imports for August 1996 totaled 164 thousand pounds, down 33 percent from August a year ago. Brazil accounted for 99 percent, with Canada having the remaining one percent. Exports reported for August 1996 were 69.2 thousand pounds. All of the exports were to Germany. Import and export data are compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Census. Aq 1 (10-96) 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 : 1995 : 1996 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : ---------- 1,000 Pounds -------- Dollars Per Pound (000) Pounds : Jan : 38,807 38,475 38,807 38,475 .78 .77 61 256 Feb : 38,515 38,004 77,322 76,479 .79 .78 49 304 Mar : 42,200 46,376 119,522 122,855 .79 .78 172 401 Apr : 36,588 38,557 156,110 161,412 .79 .78 181 60 May : 37,030 39,583 193,140 200,995 .79 .79 384 373 Jun : 36,047 36,810 229,187 237,805 .79 .79 203 197 Jul : 35,800 39,025 264,987 276,830 .79 .79 294 219 Aug : 38,827 40,463 303,814 317,293 .79 .78 245 164 Sep : 37,634 38,807 341,448 356,100 .78 .77 402 Oct : 39,456 380,904 .78 219 Nov : 34,119 415,023 .78 35 Dec : 31,863 446,886 .78 181 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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. Catfish Processors: Sales Volume, Average Price, and Ending Inventory, United States, September 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 : 663 810 1.07 1.11 1/ 1/ Whole Dressed : 2,445 2,405 1.83 1.84 1/ 1/ Total : 3,108 3,215 1.68 1.67 254 166 : Other : Steaks : 1/ 90 1/ 2.07 5 8 Nuggets : 723 832 1.40 1.43 111 79 Other 2/ : 1/ 159 1/ 3.41 3 1 Total : 1,067 1,081 1.84 1.77 119 88 : Fillets 3/ : 3,162 3,645 2.91 2.85 499 422 : Total Fresh : 7,337 7,941 2.23 2.23 872 676 : Frozen : Whole Fish : Round & Gutted : Only : Whole Dressed : 1,322 1,168 2.02 2.02 1,159 689 Total : 1,322 1,168 2.02 2.02 1,159 689 : Other : Steaks : 210 182 1.87 1.90 1/ 1/ Nuggets : 1,341 1,715 1.26 1.35 836 1/ Other 2/ : 1,451 979 2.69 2.73 1/ 1,048 Total : 3,002 2,876 2.00 1.85 1,519 2,456 : Fillets 3/ : 6,999 7,657 2.85 2.74 4,904 6,281 : Total Frozen : 11,323 11,701 2.53 2.45 7,582 9,426 : Total Fresh & Frozen : 18,660 19,642 2.41 2.36 8,454 10,102 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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. 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 GAF Fisheries Amite River Industries Guidry Catfish Processors, Inc. Aqua Farm Catfish Harvest Select Carolina Classics Catfish, Inc. Heartland Catfish Confish Inc. Lake's Farm Raised Catfish, Inc. Corbin Fish Farm Pride of Florida Delta Pride Catfish, Inc. Pride of the Pond Dorey Fish Co. Prime Line Catfish Co. Farm Fresh Catfish Co. Seabrook Seafood, Inc. Fast Catfish Simmons Farm-Raised Fish Breeders of Idaho Southern Farm Fish Processors Franklin Catfish Southern Pride Freshwater Farms, Inc. Southfresh Farms Superior Fish Processors * Estimated The next "Catfish Processing" report will be released at 3:00 p.m. ET on November 21, 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. SUBSCRIBE TODAY!! 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