HDR1012000170010224971500Catfish Processing Released February 24, 1997, 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) (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. Catfish Processing Up 10 Percent Farm-raised catfish processed during January totaled 42.4 million pounds round weight, up 10 percent from January 1996. The average price paid to producers was 73 cents per pound for January 1997, unchanged from last month and down four cents from a year ago. Net pounds of processed fish sold during January totaled 20.7 million pounds, up 2 percent from the comparable month in 1996. Sales of fresh fish, at 8.32 million pounds, were up 1 percent from January 1996 and represented 40 percent of total sales. Frozen fish sales, at 12.4 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 57 percent, and the remaining 21 percent were mostly, steaks, nuggets, and value added products. Freshwater catfish imports for December 1996 totaled twenty-two thousand pounds, substantially less than the amount imported from December a year ago. Brazil accounted for ninety percent of all the imported catfish in December 1996, and the remaining ten percent were from Thailand. Exports reported for December 1996 were 38.3 thousand pounds. Forty-nine percent of the exports were to Japan, thirty-two percent to Singapore, and the remaining nineteen percent were to Germany. Import and export data are compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Census. 1996 Catfish Processing Up 6 Percent Farm-raised catfish processed during 1996 totaled 472 million pounds, 6 percent above the 447 million pounds processed in 1995. The average price paid to producers for 1996 was 77.3 cents per pound, down 2 percent from the 78.6 cents average of 1995. Net pounds of processed fish sold in 1996 totaled 237 million pounds, an increase of 4 percent from the 1995 sales of 227 million pounds. Sales of fresh fish, at 96.7 million pounds, represented 41 percent of total sales and were up 8 percent from 1995. Frozen fish sales, at 140 million pounds, were up 2 percent and accounted for the remaining 59 percent of total sales. The 1996 average price received by processors for total fresh fish was $2.23 per pound, 1 cent below the $2.24 average in 1995. Total frozen fish at $2.46 per pound, were 5 cents below the 1995 average price of $2.51. Aq 1 (2-97) Farm-Raised Catfish: Quantity Processed and Prices Paid to Producers by Major Processors, and United States Imports, 1996-97 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Round Weight Processed : Average Price : Imports :------------------------------------: Paid to : of Month : Monthly : Cumulative : Producers 1/ : Catfish 2/ :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 : 1995 : 1996 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : ---------- 1,000 Pounds -------- Dollars Per Pound (000) Pounds : Jan : 38,475 42,409 38,475 42,409 .77 .73 61 256 Feb : 38,004 76,479 .78 49 304 Mar : 46,376 122,855 .78 172 401 Apr : 38,557 161,412 .78 181 60 May : *39,517 200,929 .79 384 373 Jun : *36,752 237,681 .79 203 197 Jul : 39,025 276,706 .79 294 219 Aug : 40,463 317,169 .78 245 164 Sep : 38,807 355,976 .77 402 195 Oct : 42,070 398,046 .76 219 188 Nov : *37,203 435,249 .75 35 103 Dec : 36,874 472,123 .73 181 22 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ * Revised 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, January 1996-97 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Sales : Average : Ending : Volume : Price : Inventory Item :------------------------------------------------------- : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : 1,000 Pounds Dollars Per Pound 1,000 Pounds Fresh : Whole Fish : Round & Gutted : Only : 931 1,027 1.07 1.03 1/ 1/ Whole Dressed : 2,742 2,375 1.80 1.80 1/ 1/ Total : 3,673 3,402 1.63 1.59 262 232 : Other : Steaks : 94 85 2.12 2.05 1/ 1/ Nuggets : 823 1,011 1.40 1.42 98 59 Other 2/ : 180 191 3.27 3.17 1/ 1/ Total : 1,097 1,287 1.77 1.72 108 70 : Fillets 3/ : 3,439 3,627 2.88 2.80 461 385 : Total Fresh : 8,209 8,316 2.17 2.14 831 687 : Frozen : Whole Fish : Round & Gutted : Only : Whole Dressed : 1,377 1,175 1.94 1.95 1,191 1,470 Total : 1,377 1,175 1.94 1.95 1,191 1,470 : Other : Steaks : 161 193 1.83 1.77 1/ 192 Nuggets : 1,972 1,908 1.32 1.31 793 1,134 Other 2/ : 1,086 914 2.71 2.74 1/ 1,172 Total : 3,219 3,015 1.81 1.77 2,499 2,498 : Fillets 3/ : 7,517 8,240 2.79 2.65 5,649 7,659 : Total Frozen : 12,113 12,430 2.43 2.37 9,339 11,627 : Total Fresh & Frozen : 20,322 20,746 2.33 2.28 10,170 12,314 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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 Processors: Fresh and Frozen Annual Sales Volume by Month, United States, 1996 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Whole Fish : Other : : :-------------------------------------------------------: : Month : Rnd & : : : : : : :Fillets: Total :Gutted : Whole : Total :Steaks :Nuggets: Other : Total : 2/ : Sales : Only :Dressed: : : : 1/ : : : ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Pounds Fresh : Jan : 931 2,742 3,673 94 823 180 1,097 3,439 8,209 Feb : 884 2,709 3,593 103 970 190 1,263 3,866 8,722 Mar : 957 3,211 4,168 114 1,118 206 1,438 4,366 9,972 Apr : 817 2,691 3,508 110 845 199 1,154 3,883 8,545 May : 705 *2,543 *3,248 *102 *821 206 *1,129 *3,840 *8,217 Jun : *550 *2,311 *2,861 *88 *675 173 *936 *3,350 *7,147 Jul : 700 2,301 3,001 92 778 175 1,045 3,556 7,602 Aug : 679 2,428 3,107 *95 851 178 *1,124 *3,619 7,850 Sep : 810 2,405 3,215 90 832 159 1,081 3,645 7,941 Oct : 886 2,438 3,324 87 967 174 1,228 3,758 8,310 Nov : 714 *2,048 *2,762 72 *833 157 *1,062 3,254 *7,078 Dec : 877 2,048 2,925 69 774 139 982 3,222 7,129 : Total: 9,510 29,875 39,385 1,116 10,287 2,136 13,539 43,798 96,722 : Frozen : Jan : 1,377 1,377 161 1,972 1,086 3,219 7,517 12,113 Feb : 1,248 1,248 189 1,755 1,271 3,215 7,428 11,891 Mar : 1,327 1,327 235 1,921 1,263 3,419 7,986 12,732 Apr : 1,273 1,273 176 1,802 1,077 3,055 7,403 11,731 May : *1,360 *1,360 *209 *1,771 *1,133 *3,113 *7,979 *12,452 Jun : *1,124 *1,124 *176 *1,746 *954 *2,876 *6,927 *10,927 Jul : 1,160 1,160 159 1,585 971 2,715 7,242 11,117 Aug : 1,133 1,133 199 2,146 1,150 3,495 7,739 12,367 Sep : 1,168 1,168 182 1,715 979 2,876 7,657 11,701 Oct : 1,185 1,185 179 2,032 1,054 3,265 8,082 12,532 Nov : 1,102 1,102 126 1,868 899 2,893 7,131 11,126 Dec : 868 868 158 1,645 802 2,605 6,296 9,769 : Total: 14,325 14,325 2,149 21,958 12,639 36,746 89,387 140,458 : Fresh &: Frozen: Jan : 931 4,119 5,050 255 2,795 1,266 4,316 10,956 20,322 Feb : 884 3,957 4,841 292 2,725 1,461 4,478 11,294 20,613 Mar : 957 4,538 5,495 349 3,039 1,469 4,857 12,352 22,704 Apr : 817 3,964 4,781 286 2,647 1,276 4,209 11,286 20,276 May : 705 3,903 4,608 311 2,592 1,339 4,242 11,819 *20,669 Jun : *550 *3,435 3,985 264 2,421 1,127 3,812 10,277 *18,074 Jul : 700 *3,461 4,161 251 2,363 1,146 3,760 10,798 18,719 Aug : 679 3,561 4,240 294 2,997 1,328 4,619 11,358 20,217 Sep : 810 3,573 4,383 272 2,547 1,138 3,957 11,302 19,642 Oct : 886 3,623 4,509 266 2,999 1,228 4,493 11,840 20,842 Nov : 714 3,150 3,864 198 2,701 1,056 3,955 10,385 *18,204 Dec : 877 2,916 3,793 227 2,419 941 3,587 9,518 16,898 : Total: 9,510 44,200 53,710 3,265 32,245 14,775 50,285 133,185 237,180 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Revised 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. Catfish Processors: Fresh and Frozen Average Sales Price by Month, United States, 1996 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Whole Fish : Other : : :-------------------------------------------------------: : Month : Rnd & : : : : : : :Fillets: Total :Gutted : Whole : Total :Steaks :Nuggets: Other : Total : 2/ : Sales : Only :Dressed: : : : 1/ : : : ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dollars per Pound Fresh : Jan : 1.07 1.80 1.63 2.12 1.40 3.27 1.77 2.88 2.17 Feb : 1.08 1.80 1.64 2.10 1.42 3.44 1.75 2.85 2.19 Mar : 1.08 1.84 1.68 2.07 1.44 3.39 1.77 2.86 2.21 Apr : 1.08 1.84 1.68 2.07 1.43 3.41 1.84 2.87 2.24 May : 1.11 1.89 1.73 2.09 *1.44 3.43 *1.86 2.88 2.29 Jun : 1.12 1.91 1.77 2.08 1.47 3.48 1.90 2.92 2.33 Jul : 1.12 1.89 1.73 2.08 1.47 3.45 1.86 2.91 2.30 Aug : 1.12 1.85 1.71 *2.07 1.44 3.44 1.81 2.88 2.26 Sep : 1.11 1.84 1.67 2.07 1.43 3.41 1.77 2.85 2.23 Oct : 1.08 1.83 1.65 2.06 1.41 3.46 1.74 2.83 2.20 Nov : 1.07 1.82 1.64 2.08 1.42 3.37 1.75 2.84 2.21 Dec : 1.03 1.81 1.60 2.07 1.40 3.38 1.73 2.81 2.16 : Avg : 1.09 1.84 1.68 2.08 1.43 3.41 1.79 2.87 2.23 : Frozen : Jan : 1.94 1.94 1.83 1.32 2.71 1.81 2.79 2.43 Feb : 1.98 1.98 1.87 1.36 2.74 1.94 2.80 2.48 Mar : 2.00 2.00 1.84 1.40 2.73 1.92 2.80 2.48 Apr : 1.94 1.94 1.84 1.41 2.76 1.91 2.79 2.47 May : 2.00 2.00 *1.91 1.43 2.80 1.96 *2.82 *2.52 Jun : 2.05 2.05 1.95 1.43 2.78 1.91 2.85 2.52 Jul : 2.02 2.02 1.94 1.40 2.75 1.92 2.83 2.52 Aug : 2.01 2.01 1.94 1.39 2.77 1.88 2.80 2.47 Sep : 2.02 2.02 1.90 1.35 2.73 1.85 2.74 2.45 Oct : 1.97 1.97 1.90 1.36 2.69 1.82 2.75 2.43 Nov : 2.01 2.01 1.92 1.33 2.75 1.80 2.73 2.41 Dec : 2.02 2.02 1.77 1.32 2.70 1.77 2.68 2.38 : Avg : 1.99 1.99 1.88 1.37 2.74 1.88 2.78 2.46 : Fresh & : Frozen : Jan : 1.07 1.85 1.71 1.94 1.34 2.79 1.80 2.82 2.33 Feb : 1.08 1.86 1.73 1.95 1.38 2.83 1.89 2.82 2.36 Mar : 1.08 1.89 1.76 1.92 1.41 2.82 1.88 2.82 2.36 Apr : 1.08 1.87 1.75 1.93 1.42 2.86 1.89 2.82 2.37 May : 1.11 1.93 1.81 1.97 1.43 2.90 1.93 2.84 *2.43 Jun : 1.12 1.96 1.85 1.99 1.44 2.89 1.91 2.87 2.44 Jul : 1.12 1.93 1.81 1.99 1.42 2.86 1.90 2.86 2.43 Aug : 1.12 1.90 1.79 1.98 1.40 2.86 1.86 2.83 2.39 Sep : 1.11 1.90 1.76 1.96 1.38 2.83 1.83 2.78 2.36 Oct : 1.08 1.88 1.73 1.95 1.38 2.80 1.80 2.78 2.34 Nov : 1.07 1.89 1.75 1.98 1.36 2.84 1.79 2.76 2.33 Dec : 1.03 1.87 1.70 1.86 1.35 2.80 1.76 2.82 2.29 : Avg : 1.09 1.89 1.76 1.95 1.39 2.84 1.85 2.81 2.37 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Revised 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. Catfish Processors: Fresh and Frozen End-of-Month Inventory by Month, United States, 1996 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Whole Fish : Other : : :-------------------------------------------------------: : Month : Rnd & : : : : : : :Fillets: :Gutted : Whole : Total :Steaks :Nuggets: Other : Total : 2/ : Total : Only :Dressed: : : : 1/ : : : ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Pounds Fresh : Jan : 3/ 3/ 262 3/ 98 3/ 108 461 831 Feb : 3/ 3/ 294 3/ 87 3/ 116 617 1,027 Mar : 3/ 3/ 221 3/ 93 3/ 110 527 858 Apr : 3/ 3/ 218 3/ 76 3/ 85 425 728 May : 3/ 3/ 200 7 63 9 79 360 639 Jun : 3/ 3/ 219 3/ 84 3/ 89 383 691 Jul : 3/ 3/ 216 3/ 100 3/ 110 526 852 Aug : 3/ 3/ 185 8 80 2 90 490 765 Sep : 3/ 3/ 166 8 79 1 88 422 676 Oct : 3/ 3/ 202 7 102 1 110 415 727 Nov : 3/ 3/ 151 3/ 83 3/ 137 340 628 Dec : 3/ 3/ 184 3/ 40 3/ 43 349 576 : Frozen : Jan : 1,191 1,191 3/ 793 3/ 2,499 5,649 9,339 Feb : 1,110 1,110 3/ 585 3/ 1,724 4,561 7,395 Mar : 1,101 1,101 134 635 801 1,570 5,457 8,128 Apr : 925 925 110 707 820 1,637 5,362 7,924 May : 702 702 69 825 1,066 1,960 5,052 7,714 Jun : *737 *737 3/ 3/ 1,024 *1,994 *5,068 *7,799 Jul : 717 717 72 1,141 1,079 2,292 5,458 8,467 Aug : 652 652 3/ 3/ 992 2,241 6,016 8,909 Sep : 689 689 3/ 3/ 1,048 2,456 6,281 9,426 Oct : 804 804 151 3/ 3/ 2,572 6,649 10,025 Nov : 923 923 212 1,106 1,035 2,353 7,355 10,631 Dec : 1,217 1,217 197 1,193 1,025 2,415 7,686 11,318 : Fresh & : Frozen : Jan : 3/ 3/ 1,453 3/ 891 3/ 2,607 6,110 10,170 Feb : 3/ 3/ 1,404 3/ 672 3/ 1,840 5,178 8,422 Mar : 3/ 3/ 1,322 3/ 728 3/ 1,680 5,984 8,986 Apr : 3/ 3/ 1,143 3/ 783 3/ 1,722 5,787 8,652 May : 3/ 3/ 902 76 888 1,075 2,039 5,412 8,353 Jun : 3/ 3/ 956 3/ 3/ 3/ 2,083 5,451 *8,490 Jul : 3/ 3/ 933 3/ 1,241 3/ 2,402 5,884 9,319 Aug : 3/ 3/ 837 3/ 3/ 994 2,331 6,506 9,674 Sep : 3/ 3/ 855 3/ 3/ 1,049 2,544 6,703 10,102 Oct : 3/ 3/ 1,006 158 3/ 3/ 2,682 7,064 10,752 Nov : 3/ 3/ 1,074 3/ 1,189 3/ 2,490 7,695 11,259 Dec : 3/ 3/ 1,401 3/ 1,233 3/ 2,458 8,035 11,894 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Revised 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. 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 March 24, 1997. 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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