Aq 1 (2-02) Catfish Processing National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released February 22, 2002, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Catfish Processing" call Mike Barker at 202-720-3243, office hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. Catfish Processing Up 12 Percent Farm-raised catfish processed during January 2002 totaled 52.6 million pounds round weight, up 12 percent from January 2001. The average price paid to producers was 54.9 cents per pound for January 2002, down 0.5 cents from last month and 14.4 cents below a year ago. Net pounds of processed fish sold during January 2002 totaled 27.2 million pounds, up 11 percent from the comparable month in 2001. Sales of fresh fish, at 10.9 million pounds, were up 11 percent from January 2001 and represented 40 percent of total sales. Frozen fish sales, at 16.3 million pounds, were up 11 percent from a year ago and accounted for the remaining 60 percent of total fish sales. Sales of whole fish represented 18 percent of the total fish sold, fillets accounted for 61 percent, and the remaining 21 percent were mostly steaks, nuggets, and value added products. The January 2002 average price received by processors for total fresh fish was $1.99 per pound, down 21 cents from last year. Prices for fresh whole fish were $1.36 per pound, down 23 cents from last year. Prices for fresh fillets were down 28 cents at $2.52 per pound. Total frozen fish averaged $2.15 per pound, down 25 cents from January 2001. Prices for frozen whole fish were down 8 cents at $1.90, while frozen fillets at $2.40 per pound were down 32 cents from a year ago. Freshwater imports of frozen, boneless, catfish fillets for December 2001 totaled 1.39 million pounds, 34 percent more than the amount imported the previous year. Vietnam accounted for more than 99 percent of the imports with the remainder coming from Guyana. There were 10.0 thousand pounds of exports reported for December 2001. Import and export data are compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Census. 2001 Catfish Processing Up 1 Percent Farm-raised catfish processed during 2001 totaled 597 million pounds, 1 percent above the 594 million pounds processed in 2000. The average priced paid to producers in 2001 was 64.7 cents per pound, 14 percent below the 75.1 cents paid last year. Net pounds of processed fish sold in 2001 totaled 296 million pounds, down slightly from the 297 million pounds sold last year. The 2001 average price received for processed fish was $2.26 per pound, down 4 percent from $2.36 a year ago. Farm-Raised Catfish: Quantity Processed and Prices Paid to Producers, by Major Processors, and United States Imports, 2001-2002 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Round Weight Processed : :-----------------------------------------------------------: Percent Month : Monthly :Percent of : Cumulative : of :-----------------------: Previous :-----------------------: Previous : 2001 : 2002 : Year : 2001 : 2002 : Year -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : -- 1,000 Pounds -- Percent -- 1,000 Pounds -- Percent : Jan : 46,999 52,551 112 46,999 52,551 112 Feb : 50,257 97,256 Mar : 57,766 155,022 Apr : 52,478 207,500 May : 51,736 259,236 Jun : 47,883 307,119 Jul : 47,829 354,948 Aug : 51,690 406,638 Sep : 49,699 456,337 Oct : 52,264 508,601 Nov : 44,670 553,271 Dec : 43,837 597,108 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Farm-Raised Catfish: Paid to Producers by Processors and Imports, United States, 2001-2002 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Price per : Change : : Percent Month : Pound 1/ : from : Imports 2/ : of :-----------------------: Previous :-----------------------: Previous : 2001 : 2002 : Year : 2000 : 2001 : Year -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---- Dollars ---- Dollars 1,000 Pounds Percent : Jan : 0.693 0.549 -0.144 487 862 177 Feb : 0.696 235 510 217 Mar : 0.697 309 1,201 389 Apr : 0.694 554 1,787 323 May : 0.687 698 1,989 285 Jun : 0.669 791 2,114 267 Jul : 0.656 945 1,968 208 Aug : 0.624 981 1,385 141 Sep : 0.610 674 1,536 228 Oct : 0.596 650 1,608 247 Nov : 0.566 871 1,724 198 Dec : 0.554 1,041 1,395 134 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Price for fish delivered to the processing plant door. Price excludes charges for any services provided by the processing plant, such as seining and hauling, but does not include adjustments based on year-end settlements. 2/ Pounds of frozen boneless fillets. Data furnished by U.S. Bureau of Census. Catfish Processors: Sales Volume, Average Price, and Ending Inventory, United States, 2001-2002 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Sales : Average : Ending : Volume : Price : Inventory Item :--------------------------------------------------------- : 2001 : 2002 : 2001 : 2002 : 2001 : 2002 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Pounds Dollars per Pound 1,000 Pounds : Fresh Fish : Whole : Round & Gutted : 1,139 852 1.10 0.87 * * Whole Dressed : 2,377 2,861 1.79 1.49 * * Total : 3,516 3,713 1.59 1.36 222 210 : Other : Steaks : 69 75 2.07 1.97 * * Nuggets : 1,118 1,176 1.29 1.15 100 117 Other 1/ : 256 275 3.05 3.03 * * Total : 1,443 1,526 1.64 1.53 108 132 : Fillets 2/ : 4,884 5,684 2.80 2.52 586 551 : Total Fresh : 9,843 10,923 2.20 1.99 916 893 : Frozen Fish : Whole Dressed : 1,156 1,146 1.98 1.90 727 814 : Other : Steaks : 113 123 1.89 1.65 67 93 Nuggets : 2,238 2,620 1.08 1.01 988 982 Other 1/ : 1,326 1,384 2.66 2.56 1,370 1,112 Total : 3,677 4,127 1.67 1.55 2,425 2,187 : Fillets 2/ : 9,831 10,977 2.72 2.40 7,787 9,750 : Total Frozen : 14,664 16,250 2.40 2.15 10,939 12,751 : Fresh & Frozen Fish : Whole : Round & Gutted : 1,139 852 1.10 0.87 * * Whole Dressed : 3,533 4,007 1.85 1.61 * * Total : 4,672 4,859 1.68 1.49 949 1,024 : Other : Steaks : 182 198 1.96 1.77 * * Nuggets : 3,356 3,796 1.15 1.06 1,088 1,099 Other 1/ : 1,582 1,659 2.72 2.64 * * Total : 5,120 5,653 1.66 1.55 2,533 2,319 : Fillets 2/ : 14,715 16,661 2.74 2.44 8,373 10,301 : Total Fresh & Frozen : 24,507 27,173 2.32 2.08 11,855 13,644 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Not published to avoid disclosure of individual operations. 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. Catfish Processors: Fresh and Frozen Pounds Sold by Month, United States, 2001 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Whole Fish : Other : : :-------------------------------------------------------: : Month : Rnd & : : : : : : :Fillets: Total :Gutted : Whole : Total :Steaks :Nuggets: Other : Total : 2/ : Sales : Only :Dressed: : : : 1/ : : : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Pounds Fresh : Jan : 1,139 2,377 3,516 69 1,118 256 1,443 4,884 9,843 Feb : 554 2,688 3,242 73 988 231 1,292 6,112 10,646 Mar : 1,114 3,146 4,260 114 1,745 297 2,156 6,751 13,167 Apr : 907 2,737 3,644 74 1,004 231 1,309 5,709 10,662 May : 787 2,484 3,271 73 953 256 1,282 5,587 10,140 Jun : 750 2,416 3,166 71 990 237 1,298 5,122 9,586 Jul : 756 2,477 3,233 70 1,061 244 1,375 5,191 9,799 Aug : 750 2,454 3,204 69 1,127 240 1,436 5,313 9,953 Sep : 637 2,537 3,174 72 1,158 219 1,449 5,264 9,887 Oct : 767 2,527 3,294 73 1,079 278 1,430 5,273 9,997 Nov : 732 2,133 2,865 60 928 235 1,223 4,463 8,551 Dec : 674 2,129 2,803 57 970 225 1,252 4,489 8,544 : Total : 9,567 30,105 39,672 875 13,121 2,949 16,945 64,158 120,775 : Frozen : Jan : 1,156 1,156 113 2,238 1,326 3,677 9,831 14,664 Feb : 1,253 1,253 103 2,465 1,823 4,391 9,678 15,322 Mar : 1,289 1,289 107 2,356 1,843 4,306 9,990 15,585 Apr : 1,088 1,088 107 2,428 1,403 3,938 9,479 14,505 May : 1,128 1,128 116 2,536 1,297 3,949 9,511 14,588 Jun : 1,111 1,111 108 2,580 1,228 3,916 9,077 14,104 Jul : 967 967 116 2,580 1,381 4,077 9,973 15,017 Aug : 1,154 1,154 116 2,587 1,304 4,007 10,890 16,051 Sep : 937 937 101 2,596 1,342 4,039 9,347 14,323 Oct : 1,062 1,062 106 2,587 1,252 3,945 10,079 15,086 Nov : 903 903 93 2,478 1,142 3,713 8,640 13,256 Dec : 809 809 110 2,372 1,136 3,618 8,664 13,091 : Total : 12,857 12,857 1,296 29,803 16,477 47,576 115,159 175,592 : Fresh & : Frozen : Jan : 1,139 3,533 4,672 182 3,356 1,582 5,120 14,715 24,507 Feb : 554 3,941 4,495 176 3,453 2,054 5,683 15,790 25,968 Mar : 1,114 4,435 5,549 221 4,101 2,140 6,462 16,741 28,752 Apr : 907 3,825 4,732 181 3,432 1,634 5,247 15,188 25,167 May : 787 3,612 4,399 189 3,489 1,553 5,231 15,098 24,728 Jun : 750 3,527 4,277 179 3,570 1,465 5,214 14,199 23,690 Jul : 756 3,444 4,200 186 3,641 1,625 5,452 15,164 24,816 Aug : 750 3,608 4,358 185 3,714 1,544 5,443 16,203 26,004 Sep : 637 3,474 4,111 173 3,754 1,561 5,488 14,611 24,210 Oct : 767 3,589 4,356 179 3,666 1,530 5,375 15,352 25,083 Nov : 732 3,036 3,768 153 3,406 1,377 4,936 13,103 21,807 Dec : 674 2,938 3,612 167 3,342 1,361 4,870 13,153 21,635 : Total : 9,567 42,962 52,529 2,171 42,924 19,426 64,521 179,317 296,367 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. Catfish Processors: Fresh and Frozen Average Sales Price by Month, United States, 2001 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Whole Fish : Other : : :-------------------------------------------------------: : Month : Rnd & : : : : : : :Fillets: Total :Gutted : Whole : Total :Steaks :Nuggets: Other : Total : 2/ : Sales : Only :Dressed: : : : 1/ : : : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dollars per Pound Fresh : Jan : 1.10 1.79 1.59 2.07 1.29 3.05 1.64 2.80 2.20 Feb : 1.14 1.77 1.68 2.09 1.33 3.06 1.68 2.79 2.31 Mar : 1.10 1.80 1.63 2.11 1.29 3.04 1.57 2.80 2.22 Apr : 1.11 1.81 1.65 2.06 1.30 2.97 1.64 2.80 2.26 May : 1.11 1.80 1.65 2.05 1.29 3.06 1.69 2.80 2.29 Jun : 1.07 1.77 1.62 2.05 1.28 3.06 1.64 2.78 2.24 Jul : 1.05 1.73 1.59 2.03 1.25 3.07 1.61 2.77 2.22 Aug : 1.01 1.70 1.55 2.03 1.23 3.06 1.57 2.75 2.19 Sep : 1.00 1.64 1.53 2.03 1.22 2.97 1.52 2.69 2.14 Oct : 1.01 1.62 1.49 2.02 1.19 3.05 1.59 2.63 2.11 Nov : 0.98 1.55 1.42 2.00 1.19 3.06 1.59 2.60 2.06 Dec : 0.88 1.51 1.37 1.97 1.18 2.97 1.53 2.55 2.02 : Avg : 1.05 1.71 1.57 2.05 1.26 3.04 1.60 2.74 2.19 : Frozen : Jan : 1.98 1.98 1.89 1.08 2.66 1.67 2.72 2.40 Feb : 2.01 2.01 1.94 1.12 2.66 1.78 2.74 2.40 Mar : 1.98 1.98 1.96 1.15 2.64 1.81 2.75 2.43 Apr : 2.01 2.01 1.96 1.15 2.62 1.70 2.73 2.39 May : 2.00 2.00 1.95 1.10 2.62 1.62 2.70 2.35 Jun : 1.94 1.94 1.91 1.04 2.57 1.54 2.67 2.30 Jul : 1.95 1.95 1.88 1.03 2.60 1.59 2.61 2.29 Aug : 1.97 1.97 1.91 1.02 2.65 1.58 2.55 2.27 Sep : 2.00 2.00 1.82 1.02 2.62 1.57 2.51 2.21 Oct : 1.97 1.97 1.87 1.04 2.59 1.55 2.48 2.20 Nov : 1.95 1.95 1.83 1.03 2.58 1.52 2.44 2.15 Dec : 1.92 1.92 1.73 1.03 2.57 1.54 2.41 2.14 : Avg : 1.98 1.98 1.89 1.07 2.62 1.63 2.61 2.30 : Fresh & : Frozen : Jan : 1.10 1.85 1.68 1.96 1.15 2.72 1.66 2.74 2.32 Feb : 1.14 1.85 1.77 2.01 1.18 2.70 1.76 2.76 2.37 Mar : 1.10 1.85 1.71 2.04 1.21 2.69 1.73 2.77 2.33 Apr : 1.11 1.87 1.73 2.00 1.19 2.67 1.68 2.76 2.34 May : 1.11 1.86 1.74 1.99 1.15 2.69 1.64 2.74 2.33 Jun : 1.21 1.83 1.70 1.97 1.11 2.65 1.57 2.71 2.28 Jul : 1.05 1.79 1.67 1.94 1.09 2.67 1.59 2.66 2.26 Aug : 1.01 1.78 1.66 1.95 1.08 2.71 1.58 2.61 2.24 Sep : 1.00 1.74 1.63 1.91 1.08 2.67 1.56 2.57 2.18 Oct : 1.01 1.72 1.61 1.93 1.08 2.67 1.56 2.54 2.17 Nov : 0.98 1.67 1.55 1.90 1.07 2.66 1.54 2.50 2.12 Dec : 0.88 1.63 1.50 1.81 1.07 2.63 1.54 2.46 2.09 : Avg : 1.05 1.79 1.67 1.95 1.13 2.68 1.62 2.66 2.26 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. Catfish Processors: Fresh and Frozen End-of-Month Inventory by Month, United States, 2001 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Whole Fish : Other : : :-------------------------------------------------------: : Month : Rnd & : : : : : : :Fillets: Total :Gutted : Whole : Total :Steaks :Nuggets: Other : Total : 2/ : Sales : Only :Dressed: : : : 1/ : : : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Pounds Fresh : Jan : * * 222 * 100 * 108 586 916 Feb : * * 215 * 97 * 105 536 856 Mar : * * 146 * 74 * 84 470 700 Apr : * * 229 * 100 * 106 520 855 May : * * 170 * 79 * 87 453 710 Jun : * * 154 * 87 * 95 493 742 Jul : * * 169 * 81 * 88 516 773 Aug : * * 169 * 101 * 107 458 734 Sep : * * 164 * 145 * 156 559 879 Oct : * * 197 * 109 * 115 617 929 Nov : * * 143 * 69 * 78 404 625 Dec : * * 139 * 102 * 117 455 711 : Frozen : Jan : 727 727 67 988 1,370 2,425 7,787 10,939 Feb : 842 842 68 943 1,373 2,384 6,672 9,898 Mar : 867 867 61 1,121 1,283 2,465 7,197 10,529 Apr : 888 888 46 1,161 1,532 2,739 7,248 10,875 May : 819 819 44 1,361 1,193 2,598 7,999 11,416 Jun : 633 633 80 1,192 1,265 2,537 8,349 11,519 Jul : 439 439 69 1,057 1,082 2,208 8,374 11,021 Aug : 495 495 72 995 1,031 2,098 8,254 10,847 Sep : 549 549 93 1,171 952 2,216 9,130 11,895 Oct : 539 539 81 1,268 876 2,225 10,068 12,832 Nov : 588 588 95 1,206 1,028 2,329 10,773 13,690 Dec : 730 730 105 1,155 1,065 2,325 11,231 14,286 : Fresh & : Frozen : Jan : * * 949 * 1,088 * 2,533 8,373 11,855 Feb : * * 1,057 * 1,040 * 2,489 7,208 10,754 Mar : * * 1,013 * 1,195 * 2,549 7,667 11,229 Apr : * * 1,117 * 1,261 * 2,845 7,768 11,730 May : * * 989 * 1,440 * 2,685 8,452 12,126 Jun : * * 787 * 1,279 * 2,632 8,842 12,261 Jul : * * 608 * 1,138 * 2,296 8,890 11,794 Aug : * * 664 * 1,096 * 2,205 8,712 11,581 Sep : * * 713 * 1,316 * 2,372 9,689 12,774 Oct : * * 736 * 1,377 * 2,340 10,685 13,761 Nov : * * 731 * 1,275 * 2,407 11,177 14,315 Dec : * * 869 * 1,257 * 2,442 11,686 14,997 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Not published to avoid disclosure of individual operations. 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. 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 dresssed fish. Processing data were compiled in cooperation with the following processors: America's Catch Haring's Pride Amite River Industries Heartland Catfish Aqua Farm Catfish Lake's Farm Raised Catfish, Inc. Carolina Classics Catfish, Inc. Pride of the Pond Confish Inc. Pride of the South Catfish Co. Delta Pride Catfish, Inc. Prime Line Catfish Co. Delta Supreme Fish Processing Seabrook Seafood, Inc. Farm Fresh Catfish Co. Simmons Farm-Raised Fish Breeders of Idaho Southern Farm Fish Processors Freshwater Farms, Inc. Southern Pride Guidry Catfish Processors, Inc. Southfresh Farms Harvest Select Superior Fish Processors * Estimated The next "Catfish Processing" report will be released at 3 p.m. ET on March 22, 2002. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs 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, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C., 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 There are two options for subscribing via e-mail. All NASS reports are available by subscription free of charge direct to your e-mail address. 1) Starting with the NASS Home Page at http:/www.usda.gov/nass/, click on Publications, then click on the Subscribe by E-mail button which takes you to the page describing e-mail delivery of reports. Finally, click on Go to the Subscription Page and follow the instructions. 2) If you do NOT have Internet access, 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 703-605-6220 FAX: 703-605-6900 (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.