HDR1012000170010523971500Catfish Processing Released May 23, 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) 720-8784, office hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. Catfish Processing Up 19 Percent Farm-raised catfish processed during April totaled 45.7 million pounds round weight, up 19 percent from April 1996. The average price paid to producerswas 73 cents per pound for April 1997, unchanged from the last four months and down five cents from a year ago. Net pounds of processed fish sold during April totaled 22.2 million pounds, up 9 percent from the comparable month in 1996. Sales of fresh fish, at 9.38 million pounds, were up 10 percent from April 1996 and represented 42 percent of total sales. Frozen fish sales, at 12.8 million pounds, were up 9 percent from a year ago, and accounted for the remaining 58 percent of total fish sales. Sales of whole fish represented 23 percent of the total, fillets accounted for 57 percent, and the remaining 20 percent were mostly, steaks, nuggets, and value added products. The April 1997 average price received by processors for total fresh fish was $2.10 per pound, down 14 cents from last year. Prices for fresh whole fish were $1.56 per pound, down 12 cents from last year. Prices for fresh fillets were down 9 cents at $2.78 per pound. Total frozen fish averaged $2.39 per pound, 8 cents below April 1996. Prices for frozen whole fish were up 3 cents at $1.97, while frozen fillets at $2.67 per pound were down 12 cents from $2.79 a year ago. Freshwater catfish imports for March 1997 totaled forty-four thousand pounds, substantially less than the amount imported from March a year ago. Brazil accounted for 92 percent of all the imported catfish in March 1997, and the remaining 8 percent were from Vietnam and Canada. Exports reported for March 1997 were 11.2 thousand pounds. All exports were to Germany. Import and export data are compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Census. Aq 1 (5-97) 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 : 1996 : 1997 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : ---------- 1,000 Pounds -------- Dollars Per Pound (000) Pounds : Jan : 38,475 42,409 38,475 42,409 .77 .73 256 64 Feb : 38,004 45,067 76,479 87,476 .78 .73 304 44 Mar : 46,376 48,431 122,855 135,907 .78 .73 401 44 Apr : 38,557 45,721 161,412 181,628 .78 .73 60 May : 39,517 200,929 .79 373 Jun : 36,752 237,681 .79 197 Jul : 39,025 276,706 .79 219 Aug : 40,463 317,169 .78 164 Sep : 38,807 355,976 .77 195 Oct : 42,070 398,046 .76 188 Nov : 37,203 435,249 .75 103 Dec : 36,874 472,123 .73 22 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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, April 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 : 817 1,097 1.08 1.01 1/ 1/ Whole Dressed : 2,691 2,673 1.84 1.76 1/ 1/ Total : 3,508 3,770 1.68 1.56 218 216 : Other : Steaks : 110 97 2.07 2.01 1/ 1/ Nuggets : 845 1,247 1.43 1.37 76 64 Other 2/ : 199 186 3.41 3.30 1/ 1/ Total : 1,154 1,530 1.84 1.64 85 73 : Fillets 3/ : 3,883 4,084 2.87 2.78 425 407 : Total Fresh : 8,545 9,384 2.24 2.10 728 696 : Frozen : Whole Fish : Round & Gutted : Only : Whole Dressed : 1,273 1,239 1.94 1.97 925 1,537 Total : 1,273 1,239 1.94 1.97 925 1,537 : Other : Steaks : 176 169 1.84 1.78 110 216 Nuggets : 1,802 1,864 1.41 1.32 707 766 Other 2/ : 1,077 905 2.76 2.72 820 887 Total : 3,055 2,938 1.91 1.78 1,637 1,869 : Fillets 3/ : 7,403 8,593 2.79 2.67 5,362 6,837 : Total Frozen : 11,731 12,770 2.47 2.39 7,924 10,243 : Total Fresh & Frozen : 20,276 22,154 2.37 2.27 8,652 10,939 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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 Guidry Catfish Processors, Inc. Amite River Industries Harvest Select Aqua Farm Catfish Heartland Catfish Carolina Classics Catfish, Inc. Lake's Farm Raised Catfish, Inc. Confish Inc. Pride of Florida *Corbin Fish Farm Pride of the Pond Delta Pride Catfish, Inc. Pride of the South Catfish Co. 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 GAF Fisheries Superior Fish Processors * Estimated The next "Catfish Processing" report will be released at 3:00 p.m. ET on June 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's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint, write the Secretary of Agriculture, USDA, Washington, D.C., 20250, or call 1-800-245-6340 (voice) or (202) 720-1127 (TDD). USDA's is an equal employment opportunity employer. SUBSCRIBE TODAY!! 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