Catfish Processing National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released February 24, 1999, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Catfish Processing" call John Lange (202) 720-0585 or Mike Barker at (202) 720-3243, office hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. Catfish Processing Up 4 Percent Farm-raised catfish processed during January totaled 48.7 million pounds round weight, up 4 percent from January 1998. The average price paid to producers was 70 cents per pound for January 1999, unchanged from last month, but 1 cent above a year ago. Net pounds of processed fish sold during January 1999 totaled 23.1 million pounds, down 2 percent from the comparable month in 1998. Sales of fresh fish, at 9.47 million pounds, were down slightly from January 1998 and represented 41 percent of total sales. Frozen fish sales, at 13.6 million pounds, were down 3 percent from a year ago and accounted for the remaining 59 percent of total fish sales. Sales of whole fish represented 21 percent of the total, fillets accounted for 59 percent, and the remaining 20 percent were mostly steaks, nuggets, and value added products. Freshwater catfish imports for December 1998 totaled 89.6 thousand pounds, up significantly from the amount reported last December. Vietnam accounted for 47 percent of the imports in December, Guyana 43 percent, and Nicaragua 10 percent. Exports reported for December 1998 totaled 26.0 thousand pounds. Germany received 85 percent of the exports with the remaining 15 percent going to the United Kingdom. Import and export data are compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Census. 1998 Catfish Processing Up 8 Percent Farm-raised catfish processed during 1998 totaled 564 million pounds a new record, 8 percent above the 525 million pounds processed in 1997. The average price paid to producers for 1998 was 74.3 cents per pound, up 4 percent from the 71.2 cents average of 1997. Net pounds of processed fish sold in 1998 totaled 281 million pounds, an increase of 8 percent from the 1997 sales of 262 million pounds. Sales of fresh fish, at 113 million pounds, represented 40 percent of total sales and were up 6 percent from 1997. Frozen fish sales, at 168 million pounds, were up 8 percent and accounted for the remaining 60 percent of total sales. The 1998 average price received by processors for total fresh fish was $2.18 per pound, 7 cents above the $2.11 average in 1997. Total frozen fish at $2.39 per pound, were 3 cents above the 1997 average price of $2.36. Aq 1 (2-99) Farm-Raised Catfish: Quantity Processed and Prices Paid to Producers by Major Processors, and United States Imports, 1998-99 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Round Weight Processed : Average Price : Imports :------------------------------------: Paid to : of Month : Monthly : Cumulative : Producers 1/ : Catfish 2/ :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1998 : 1999 : 1998 : 1999 : 1998 : 1999 : 1997 : 1998 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : ---------- 1,000 Pounds -------- Dollars Per Pound (000) Pounds : Jan : 46,723 48,723 46,723 48,723 .69 .70 64 91 Feb : 47,606 94,329 .73 44 9 Mar : 53,761 148,090 .78 44 99 Apr : 49,393 197,483 .79 15 82 May : 45,218 242,701 .79 0 208 Jun : 46,244 288,945 .78 71 193 Jul : 46,383 335,328 .76 134 195 Aug : 47,739 383,067 .74 235 132 Sep : 46,579 429,646 .73 32 21 Oct : 47,904 477,550 .71 163 92 Nov : 43,224 520,774 .70 121 174 Dec : 43,581 564,355 .70 19 90 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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 1998-99 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Sales : Average : Ending : Volume : Price : Inventory Item :------------------------------------------------------- : 1998 : 1999 : 1998 : 1999 : 1998 : 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : 1,000 Pounds Dollars Per Pound 1,000 Pounds Fresh : Whole Fish : Round & Gutted : Only : 1,023 1,039 .99 1.04 1/ 1/ Whole Dressed : 2,677 2,611 1.70 1.71 1/ 1/ Total : 3,700 3,650 1.52 1.54 218 208 : Other : Steaks : 74 80 1.96 1.99 10 4 Nuggets : 1,229 995 1.34 1.33 84 78 Other 2/ : 196 168 3.19 3.12 5 4 Total : 1,499 1,243 1.61 1.61 99 86 : Fillets 3/ : 4,292 4,581 2.71 2.73 418 451 : Total Fresh : 9,491 9,474 2.07 2.12 735 745 : Frozen : Whole Fish : Round & Gutted : Only : Whole Dressed : 1,185 1,139 1.87 1.94 1,057 921 Total : 1,185 1,139 1.87 1.94 1,057 921 : Other : Steaks : 145 107 1.83 1.75 133 185 Nuggets : 2,320 1,959 1.19 1.11 1,353 1,857 Other 2/ : 1,003 1,240 2.62 2.70 869 984 Total : 3,468 3,306 1.63 1.73 2,355 3,026 : Fillets 3/ : 9,432 9,188 2.58 2.62 6,893 7,024 : Total Frozen : 14,085 13,633 2.28 2.35 10,305 10,971 : Total Fresh & Frozen : 23,576 23,107 2.20 2.26 11,040 11,716 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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, 1998 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Whole Fish : Other : : :-------------------------------------------------------: : Month : Rnd & : : : : : : :Fillets: Total :Gutted : Whole : Total :Steaks :Nuggets: Other : Total : 2/ : Sales : Only :Dressed: : : : 1/ : : : ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Pounds Fresh : Jan : 1,023 2,677 3,700 74 1,229 196 1,499 4,292 9,491 Feb : 1,062 2,987 4,049 91 1,385 236 1,712 4,784 10,545 Mar : 1,238 3,070 4,308 100 1,358 263 1,721 5,130 11,159 Apr : 1,275 2,581 3,856 87 1,172 250 1,509 4,634 9,999 May : 855 2,566 3,421 76 1,082 237 1,395 4,371 9,187 Jun : 1,009 2,331 3,340 85 1,113 255 1,453 4,220 9,013 Jul : 975 2,367 3,342 81 936 229 1,246 4,542 9,130 Aug : 815 2,455 3,270 79 1,052 238 1,369 4,622 9,261 Sep : 956 2,376 3,332 79 984 251 1,314 4,626 9,272 Oct : 954 2,477 3,431 84 1,046 215 1,345 4,588 9,364 Nov : 858 2,294 3,152 69 839 209 1,117 4,092 8,361 Dec : 1,057 2,197 3,254 66 831 184 1,081 3,975 8,310 : Total :12,077 30,378 42,455 971 13,027 2,763 16,761 53,876 113,092 : Frozen : Jan : 1,185 1,185 145 2,320 1,003 3,468 9,432 14,085 Feb : 1,360 1,360 195 2,140 1,348 3,683 11,062 16,105 Mar : 1,311 1,311 185 1,987 1,363 3,535 10,202 15,048 Apr : 1,123 1,123 154 1,748 1,141 3,043 9,030 13,196 May : 1,106 1,106 148 1,816 1,161 3,125 9,542 13,773 Jun : 1,151 1,151 164 2,054 1,160 3,378 9,460 13,989 Jul : 1,137 1,137 132 2,034 1,089 3,255 9,451 13,843 Aug : 1,048 1,048 158 2,475 1,255 3,888 9,892 14,828 Sep : 998 998 146 2,287 1,032 3,465 9,070 13,533 Oct : 1,111 1,111 139 2,517 1,314 3,970 8,796 13,877 Nov : 955 955 99 2,141 1,078 3,318 8,947 13,220 Dec : 974 974 105 2,018 1,052 3,175 8,660 12,809 : Total : 13,459 13,459 1,770 25,537 13,996 41,303 113,544 168,306 : Fresh &: Frozen: Jan : 1,023 3,862 4,885 219 3,549 1,199 4,967 13,724 23,576 Feb : 1,062 4,347 5,409 286 3,525 1,584 5,395 15,846 26,650 Mar : 1,238 4,381 5,619 285 3,345 1,626 5,256 15,332 26,207 Apr : 1,275 3,704 4,979 241 2,920 1,391 4,552 13,664 23,195 May : 855 3,672 4,527 224 2,898 1,398 4,520 13,913 22,960 Jun : 1,009 3,482 4,491 249 3,167 1,415 4,831 13,680 23,002 Jul : 975 3,504 4,479 213 2,970 1,318 4,501 13,993 22,973 Aug : 815 3,503 4,318 237 3,527 1,493 5,257 14,514 24,089 Sep : 956 3,374 4,330 225 3,271 1,283 4,779 13,696 22,805 Oct : 954 3,588 4,542 223 3,563 1,529 5,315 13,384 23,241 Nov : 858 3,249 4,107 168 2,980 1,287 4,435 13,039 21,581 Dec : 1,057 3,171 4,228 171 2,849 1,236 4,256 12,635 21,119 : Total :12,077 43,837 55,914 2,741 38,564 16,759 58,064 167,420 281,398 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Includes all products not already reported, 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, 1998 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Whole Fish : Other : : :-------------------------------------------------------: : Month : Rnd & : : : : : : :Fillets: Total :Gutted : Whole : Total :Steaks :Nuggets: Other : Total : 2/ : Sales : Only :Dressed: : : : 1/ : : : ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dollars per Pound Fresh : Jan : 0.99 1.70 1.52 1.96 1.34 3.19 1.61 2.71 2.07 Feb : 1.01 1.75 1.57 1.99 1.36 3.19 1.65 2.75 2.12 Mar : 1.05 1.84 1.63 2.03 1.41 3.24 1.72 2.85 2.21 Apr : 1.07 1.85 1.61 2.06 1.44 3.24 1.78 2.86 2.21 May : 1.07 1.82 1.65 2.07 1.44 3.27 1.78 2.86 2.25 Jun : 1.08 1.79 1.60 2.03 1.41 3.18 1.76 2.85 2.21 Jul : 1.07 1.79 1.60 2.02 1.41 3.25 1.79 2.84 2.24 Aug : 1.07 1.79 1.63 2.02 1.35 3.21 1.71 2.82 2.23 Sep : 1.06 1.78 1.59 2.06 1.34 3.11 1.72 2.78 2.20 Oct : 1.05 1.77 1.59 2.01 1.37 3.14 1.69 2.78 2.18 Nov : 1.04 1.73 1.56 2.03 1.35 3.14 1.73 2.75 2.16 Dec : 1.04 1.71 1.52 2.00 1.35 3.11 1.69 2.73 2.12 : Avg : 1.05 1.78 1.59 2.02 1.38 3.19 1.72 2.80 2.18 : Frozen : Jan : 1.87 1.87 1.83 1.19 2.62 1.63 2.58 2.28 Feb : 1.91 1.91 1.77 1.27 2.69 1.82 2.63 2.38 Mar : 1.98 1.98 1.87 1.34 2.81 1.94 2.74 2.49 Apr : 2.00 2.00 1.91 1.32 2.72 1.88 2.77 2.50 May : 1.97 1.97 1.88 1.28 2.62 1.81 2.78 2.49 Jun : 1.93 1.93 1.80 1.21 2.65 1.73 2.74 2.43 Jul : 1.92 1.92 1.82 1.16 2.68 1.70 2.72 2.42 Aug : 1.95 1.95 1.81 1.12 2.71 1.66 2.72 2.38 Sep : 1.93 1.93 1.78 1.17 2.69 1.65 2.68 2.36 Oct : 1.95 1.95 1.76 1.10 2.69 1.65 2.67 2.32 Nov : 1.96 1.96 1.82 1.15 2.70 1.67 2.62 2.33 Dec : 1.97 1.97 1.75 1.11 2.67 1.65 2.60 2.32 : Avg : 1.94 1.94 1.82 1.20 2.69 1.73 2.69 2.39 : Fresh & : Frozen : Jan : 0.99 1.75 1.60 1.87 1.24 2.71 1.62 2.62 2.20 Feb : 1.01 1.80 1.66 1.84 1.31 2.76 1.77 2.67 2.28 Mar : 1.05 1.88 1.71 1.93 1.37 2.88 1.87 2.78 2.37 Apr : 1.07 1.90 1.70 1.96 1.37 2.81 1.85 2.80 2.38 May : 1.07 1.87 1.73 1.94 1.34 2.73 1.80 2.81 2.39 Jun : 1.08 1.84 1.68 1.88 1.28 2.75 1.74 2.77 2.34 Jul : 1.07 1.83 1.68 1.90 1.24 2.78 1.72 2.76 2.35 Aug : 1.07 1.84 1.71 1.88 1.19 2.79 1.67 2.75 2.33 Sep : 1.06 1.82 1.67 1.88 1.22 2.77 1.67 2.71 2.30 Oct : 1.05 1.83 1.68 1.85 1.18 2.75 1.66 2.71 2.27 Nov : 1.04 1.80 1.65 1.91 1.21 2.77 1.69 2.66 2.27 Dec : 1.04 1.79 1.62 1.85 1.18 2.74 1.66 2.64 2.24 : Avg : 1.05 1.83 1.68 1.89 1.26 2.77 1.73 2.72 2.29 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Includes all products not already reported, 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. Catfish Processors: Fresh and Frozen End-of-Month Inventory by Month, United States, 1998 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 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/ 218 10 84 5 99 418 735 Feb : 3/ 3/ 235 13 89 3 105 410 750 Mar : 3/ 3/ 230 8 134 3 145 391 766 Apr : 3/ 3/ 195 3/ 157 3/ 177 340 712 May : 3/ 3/ 130 3/ 63 3/ 69 270 469 Jun : 3/ 3/ 167 6 59 2 67 330 564 Jul : 3/ 3/ 196 3/ 80 3/ 90 393 679 Aug : 3/ 3/ 232 3/ 82 3/ 91 484 807 Sep : 3/ 3/ 229 3/ 87 3/ 95 395 719 Oct : 3/ 3/ 215 3/ 70 3/ 127 380 722 Nov : 3/ 3/ 163 3/ 41 3/ 46 348 557 Dec : 3/ 3/ 143 3/ 45 3/ 57 313 513 : Frozen : Jan : 1,057 1,057 133 1,353 869 2,355 6,893 10,305 Feb : 953 953 138 1,040 725 1,903 5,074 7,930 Mar : 1,088 1,088 141 1,246 781 2,168 5,134 8,390 Apr : 1,006 1,006 141 1,687 1,154 2,982 5,307 9,295 May : 1,051 1,051 150 2,014 1,166 3,330 4,714 9,095 Jun : 898 898 146 1,990 898 3,034 4,767 8,699 Jul : 724 724 136 2,268 947 3,351 5,042 9,117 Aug : 522 522 144 2,034 757 2,935 5,105 8,562 Sep : 456 456 137 2,004 765 2,906 5,325 8,687 Oct : 436 436 154 1,992 609 2,755 6,323 9,514 Nov : 520 520 134 1,578 1,125 2,837 6,456 9,813 Dec : 650 650 167 1,686 1,010 2,863 6,781 10,294 : Fresh & : Frozen : Jan : 3/ 3/ 1,275 143 1,437 874 2,454 7,311 11,040 Feb : 3/ 3/ 1,188 151 1,129 728 2,008 5,484 8,680 Mar : 3/ 3/ 1,318 149 1,380 784 2,313 5,525 9,156 Apr : 3/ 3/ 1,201 3/ 1,844 3/ 3,159 5,647 10,007 May : 3/ 3/ 1,181 3/ 2,077 3/ 3,399 4,984 9,564 Jun : 3/ 3/ 1,065 152 2,049 900 3,101 5,097 9,263 Jul : 3/ 3/ 920 3/ 2,348 3/ 3,441 5,435 9,796 Aug : 3/ 3/ 754 3/ 2,116 3/ 3,026 5,589 9,369 Sep : 3/ 3/ 685 3/ 2,091 3/ 3,001 5,720 9,406 Oct : 3/ 3/ 651 3/ 2,062 3/ 2,882 6,703 10,236 Nov : 3/ 3/ 683 3/ 1,619 3/ 2,883 6,804 10,370 Dec : 3/ 3/ 793 3/ 1,731 3/ 2,920 7,094 10,807 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Includes all products not already reported, 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 24 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 Heartland Catfish Amite River Industries Lake's Farm Raised Catfish, Inc. Aqua Farm Catfish Plantation Fisheries Carolina Classics Catfish, Inc. Pride of the Pond Confish Inc. *Pride of the South Catfish Co. Delta Pride Catfish, Inc. 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 *Guidry Catfish Processors, Inc. Superior Fish Processors Harvest Select * Estimated The next "Catfish Processing " report will be released at 3:00 p.m. ET on March 23, 1999. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) 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 of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC, 20250-9410, or call (202) 720-5964 (voice or TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. ACCESS TO REPORTS!! For your convenience, there are several ways to obtain NASS reports, data products, and services: INTERNET ACCESS All NASS reports are available free of charge on the worldwide Internet. For access, connect to the Internet and go to the NASS Home Page at: http://www.usda.gov/nass/. Select "Today's Reports" or Publications and then Reports by Calendar or Publications and then Search, by Title or Subject. E-MAIL SUBSCRIPTION All NASS reports are available by subscription free of charge direct to your e-mail address. Send an e-mail message to: usda-reports@usda.mannlib.cornell.edu. In the body of the message type the word: list. AUTOFAX ACCESS NASSFax service is available for some reports from your fax machine. Please call 202-720-2000, using the handset attached to your fax. Respond to the voice prompts. Document 0411 is a list of available reports. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - PRINTED REPORTS OR DATA PRODUCTS CALL OUR TOLL-FREE ORDER DESK: 800-999-6779 (U.S. and Canada) Other areas, please call 703-834-0125 FAX: 703-834-0110 (Visa, MasterCard, check, or money order acceptable for payment.) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ASSISTANCE For assistance with general agricultural statistics or further information about NASS or its products or services, contact the Agricultural Statistics Hotline at 800-727-9540, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET, or e-mail: nass@nass.usda.gov.