Aq 1 (3-03) Catfish Processing National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released March 21, 2003, 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 5 Percent Farm-raised catfish processed during February 2003 totaled 55.5 million pounds round weight, up 5 percent from February 2002. The average price paid to producers was 54.4 cents per pound for February 2003, up 1.5 cents from last month but 1.1 cents below a year ago. Net pounds of processed fish sold during February 2003 totaled 27.6 million pounds, down 6 percent from the comparable month in 2002. Sales of fresh fish, at 10.5 million pounds, were down 7 percent from February 2002 and represented 38 percent of total sales. Frozen fish sales, at 17.1 million pounds, were down 5 percent from a year ago and accounted for the remaining 62 percent of total fish sales. Sales of whole fish represented 19 percent of the total fish sold, fillets accounted for 60 percent, and the remaining 21 percent were mostly steaks, nuggets, and value added products. The February 2003 average price received by processors for total fresh fish was $1.88 per pound, down 12 cents from last year. Prices for fresh whole fish were $1.30 per pound, down 6 cents from last year. Prices for fresh fillets were down 4 cents at $2.45 per pound. Total frozen fish averaged $2.10 per pound, down 7 cents from February 2002. Prices for frozen whole fish were down 5 cents at $1.83, while frozen fillets at $2.39 per pound were unchanged from a year ago. Import and export data for January 2003 were not available at the time of this publication. Import and export data are compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Census. 2002 Catfish Processing Up 6 Percent Farm-raised catfish processed during 2002 totaled 631 million pounds, 6 percent above the 597 million pounds processed in 2001. The average priced paid to producers in 2002 was 56.8 cents per pound, 12 percent below the 64.7 cents paid last year. Net pounds of processed fish sold in 2002 totaled 318 million pounds, up 7 percent from the 296 million pounds sold last year. The 2002 average price received for processed fish was $2.07 per pound, down 8 percent from $2.26 a year ago. Farm-Raised Catfish: Quantity Processed by Major Processors, United States, 2002-2003 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Round Weight Processed : :-----------------------------------------------------------: Percent Month : Monthly :Percent of : Cumulative : of :-----------------------: Previous :-----------------------: Previous : 2002 : 2003 : Year : 2002 : 2003 : Year -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : -- 1,000 Pounds -- Percent --- 1,000 Pounds -- Percent : Jan : 52,551 55,523 106 52,551 55,523 106 Feb : 52,856 55,461 105 105,407 110,984 105 Mar : 58,340 163,747 Apr : 50,694 214,441 May : 52,902 267,343 Jun : 49,450 316,793 Jul : 52,363 369,156 Aug : 54,383 423,539 Sep : 53,366 476,905 Oct : 56,576 533,481 Nov : 50,072 583,553 Dec : 47,048 630,601 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Farm-Raised Catfish: Prices Paid to Producers by Processors and Imports, United States, 2002-2003 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Price per : Change : : Percent Month : Pound 1/ : from : Imports 2/ : of :-----------------------: Previous :-----------------------: Previous : 2002 : 2003 : Year : 2002 : 2003 : Year -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---- Dollars ---- Dollars 1,000 Pounds Percent : Jan : 0.549 0.529 -0.020 1,037 Feb : 0.555 0.544 -0.011 1,048 Mar : 0.565 414 Apr : 0.561 618 May : 0.574 1,491 Jun : 0.588 982 Jul : 0.590 957 Aug : 0.582 632 Sep : 0.576 670 Oct : 0.568 572 Nov : 0.560 874 Dec : 0.544 906 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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, February 2002-2003 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Sales : Average : Ending : Volume : Price : Inventory Item :--------------------------------------------------------- : 2002 : 2003 : 2002 : 2003 : 2002 : 2003 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Pounds Dollars per Pound 1,000 Pounds : Fresh Fish : Whole : Round & Gutted : 732 1,099 0.88 0.86 * * Whole Dressed : 2,924 2,686 1.46 1.46 * * Total : 3,656 3,785 1.36 1.30 199 234 : Other : Steaks : 69 115 1.96 1.93 * * Nuggets : 1,068 1,230 1.17 1.14 98 87 Other 1/ : 309 187 2.87 2.83 * * Total : 1,446 1,532 1.57 1.41 120 122 : Fillets 2/ : 6,132 5,158 2.49 2.45 530 420 : Total Fresh : 11,234 10,475 2.00 1.88 849 776 : Frozen Fish : Whole Dressed : 1,377 1,418 1.88 1.83 779 1,596 : Other : Steaks : 136 130 1.64 1.71 96 73 Nuggets : 2,588 3,022 1.05 1.05 650 1,255 Other 1/ : 1,611 1,183 2.52 2.33 994 786 Total : 4,335 4,335 1.61 1.42 1,740 2,114 : Fillets 2/ : 12,362 11,358 2.39 2.39 7,462 5,530 : Total Frozen : 18,074 17,111 2.17 2.10 9,981 9,240 : Fresh & Frozen Fish : Whole : Round & Gutted : 732 1,099 0.88 0.86 * * Whole Dressed : 4,301 4,104 1.59 1.59 * * Total : 5,033 5,203 1.50 1.44 978 1,830 : Other : Steaks : 205 245 1.75 1.81 * * Nuggets : 3,656 4,252 1.09 1.08 748 1,342 Other 1/ : 1,920 1,370 2.58 2.40 * * Total : 5,781 5,867 1.60 1.42 1,860 2,236 : Fillets 2/ : 18,494 16,516 2.42 2.41 7,992 5,950 : Total Fresh & Frozen : 29,308 27,586 2.10 2.02 10,830 10,016 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * 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, 2002 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Whole Fish : Other : : :-------------------------------------------------------: : Month : Rnd & : : : : : : :Fillets: Total :Gutted : Whole : Total :Steaks :Nuggets: Other : Total : 2/ : Sales : Only :Dressed: : : : 1/ : : : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Pounds Fresh : Jan : 852 2,861 3,713 75 1,176 275 1,526 5,684 10,923 Feb : 732 2,924 3,656 69 1,068 309 1,446 6,132 11,234 Mar : 1,053 2,809 3,862 75 1,040 260 1,375 6,010 11,247 Apr : 734 2,639 3,373 70 1,050 236 1,356 5,236 9,965 May : 868 2,776 3,644 74 1,422 236 1,732 5,682 11,058 Jun : 778 2,535 3,313 83 1,197 247 1,527 5,093 9,933 Jul : 901 2,576 3,477 89 1,248 239 1,576 5,327 10,380 Aug : 1,073 2,660 3,733 96 1,247 226 1,569 5,442 10,744 Sep : 984 2,434 3,418 80 1,113 248 1,441 5,317 10,176 Oct : 1,193 2,629 3,822 98 1,253 245 1,596 5,420 10,838 Nov : 1,011 2,020 3,031 74 865 226 1,165 4,447 8,643 Dec : 893 2,093 2,986 81 957 167 1,205 4,119 8,310 : Total :11,072 30,956 42,028 964 13,636 2,914 17,514 63,909 123,451 : Frozen : Jan : 1,146 1,146 123 2,620 1,384 4,127 10,977 16,250 Feb : 1,377 1,377 136 2,588 1,611 4,335 12,362 18,074 Mar : 1,472 1,472 114 2,639 1,390 4,143 11,783 17,398 Apr : 1,383 1,383 162 2,014 1,162 3,338 10,337 15,058 May : 1,246 1,246 144 2,132 1,276 3,552 11,405 16,203 Jun : 1,194 1,194 89 2,125 1,195 3,409 10,134 14,737 Jul : 1,174 1,174 148 2,619 1,352 4,119 10,768 16,061 Aug : 1,285 1,285 101 3,016 1,379 4,496 11,436 17,217 Sep : 1,420 1,420 113 2,668 1,279 4,060 10,842 16,322 Oct : 1,328 1,328 111 2,459 1,442 4,012 11,622 16,962 Nov : 1,101 1,101 131 2,725 1,539 4,395 9,800 15,296 Dec : 967 967 89 2,507 1,258 3,854 9,799 14,620 : Total : 15,093 15,093 1,461 30,112 16,267 47,840 131,265 194,198 : Fresh & : Frozen : Jan : 852 4,007 4,859 198 3,796 1,659 5,653 16,661 27,173 Feb : 732 4,301 5,033 205 3,656 1,920 5,781 18,494 29,308 Mar : 1,053 4,281 5,334 189 3,679 1,650 5,518 17,793 28,645 Apr : 734 4,022 4,756 232 3,064 1,398 4,694 15,573 25,023 May : 868 4,022 4,890 218 3,554 1,512 5,284 17,087 27,261 Jun : 778 3,729 4,507 172 3,322 1,442 4,936 15,227 24,670 Jul : 901 3,750 4,651 237 3,867 1,591 5,695 16,095 26,441 Aug : 1,073 3,945 5,018 197 4,263 1,605 6,065 16,878 27,961 Sep : 984 3,854 4,838 193 3,781 1,527 5,501 16,159 26,498 Oct : 1,193 3,957 5,150 209 3,712 1,687 5,608 17,042 27,800 Nov : 1,011 3,121 4,132 205 3,590 1,765 5,560 14,247 23,939 Dec : 893 3,060 3,953 170 3,464 1,425 5,059 13,918 22,930 : Total :11,072 46,049 57,121 2,425 43,748 19,181 65,354 195,174 317,649 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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, 2002 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Whole Fish : Other : : :-------------------------------------------------------: : Month : Rnd & : : : : : : :Fillets: Total :Gutted : Whole : Total :Steaks :Nuggets: Other : Total : 2/ : Sales : Only :Dressed: : : : 1/ : : : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dollars per Pound Fresh : Jan : 0.87 1.49 1.36 1.97 1.15 3.03 1.53 2.52 1.99 Feb : 0.88 1.46 1.36 1.96 1.17 2.87 1.57 2.49 2.00 Mar : 0.86 1.44 1.30 1.96 1.17 2.90 1.54 2.49 1.96 Apr : 0.87 1.45 1.34 1.95 1.19 2.82 1.51 2.51 1.98 May : 0.87 1.50 1.36 1.98 1.19 2.82 1.45 2.53 1.98 Jun : 0.87 1.51 1.37 1.95 1.21 2.84 1.51 2.55 2.00 Jul : 0.84 1.51 1.35 2.02 1.21 2.85 1.50 2.55 1.99 Aug : 0.82 1.50 1.32 2.00 1.22 2.85 1.50 2.54 1.96 Sep : 0.83 1.49 1.31 2.03 1.21 2.82 1.53 2.54 1.99 Oct : 0.83 1.46 1.28 2.04 1.17 2.85 1.48 2.52 1.93 Nov : 0.84 1.42 1.24 2.01 1.18 2.83 1.55 2.49 1.93 Dec : 0.83 1.41 1.25 1.93 1.18 2.83 1.46 2.47 1.89 : Avg : 0.85 1.47 1.32 1.99 1.19 2.86 1.51 2.52 1.97 : Frozen : Jan : 1.90 1.90 1.65 1.01 2.56 1.55 2.40 2.15 Feb : 1.88 1.88 1.64 1.05 2.52 1.61 2.39 2.17 Mar : 1.81 1.81 1.76 1.08 2.46 1.56 2.37 2.13 Apr : 1.80 1.80 1.64 1.09 2.53 1.62 2.37 2.15 May : 1.80 1.80 1.59 1.10 2.48 1.62 2.38 2.17 Jun : 1.87 1.87 1.73 1.06 2.40 1.55 2.40 2.16 Jul : 1.86 1.86 1.54 1.04 2.41 1.51 2.39 2.12 Aug : 1.84 1.84 1.76 1.04 2.42 1.48 2.40 2.12 Sep : 1.82 1.82 1.59 1.05 2.40 1.49 2.41 2.13 Oct : 1.85 1.85 1.69 1.05 2.25 1.50 2.38 2.13 Nov : 1.87 1.87 1.78 1.04 2.41 1.54 2.38 2.10 Dec : 1.85 1.85 1.65 1.04 2.47 1.52 2.36 2.11 : Avg : 1.84 1.84 1.66 1.05 2.44 1.54 2.39 2.14 : Fresh & : Frozen : Jan : 0.87 1.61 1.49 1.77 1.05 2.64 1.54 2.44 2.08 Feb : 0.88 1.59 1.50 1.75 1.09 2.58 1.60 2.42 2.10 Mar : 0.86 1.57 1.44 1.84 1.11 2.53 1.56 2.41 2.06 Apr : 0.87 1.57 1.47 1.73 1.12 2.58 1.59 2.42 2.08 May : 0.87 1.59 1.48 1.72 1.14 2.53 1.56 2.43 2.09 Jun : 0.87 1.63 1.51 1.84 1.11 2.48 1.54 2.45 2.09 Jul : 0.84 1.62 1.48 1.72 1.09 2.48 1.51 2.44 2.07 Aug : 0.82 1.61 1.45 1.88 1.09 2.48 1.49 2.45 2.06 Sep : 0.83 1.61 1.46 1.77 1.10 2.47 1.50 2.45 2.07 Oct : 0.83 1.59 1.43 1.85 1.09 2.34 1.49 2.42 2.05 Nov : 0.84 1.58 1.41 1.86 1.07 2.46 1.54 2.41 2.04 Dec : 0.83 1.55 1.40 1.78 1.08 2.51 1.51 2.39 2.03 : Avg : 0.85 1.59 1.46 1.79 1.09 2.51 1.53 2.43 2.07 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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, 2002 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Whole Fish : Other : : :-------------------------------------------------------: : Month : Rnd & : : : : : : :Fillets: Total :Gutted : Whole : Total :Steaks :Nuggets: Other : Total : 2/ : Sales : Only :Dressed: : : : 1/ : : : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Pounds Fresh : Jan : * * 210 * 117 * 132 551 893 Feb : * * 199 * 98 * 120 530 849 Mar : * * 225 * 71 * 83 474 782 Apr : * * 131 * 96 * 105 411 647 May : * * 167 * 90 * 113 355 635 Jun : * * 195 * 102 * 112 407 714 Jul : * * 236 * 112 * 134 488 858 Aug : * * 191 * 121 * 134 477 802 Sep : * * 185 * 83 * 95 405 685 Oct : * * 196 * 94 * 105 498 799 Nov : * * 183 * 92 * 105 407 695 Dec : * * 152 * 78 * 88 411 651 : Frozen : Jan : 814 814 93 982 1,112 2,187 9,750 12,751 Feb : 779 779 96 650 994 1,740 7,462 9,981 Mar : 997 997 71 659 1,408 2,138 7,317 10,452 Apr : 999 999 57 832 1,054 1,943 6,735 9,677 May : 878 878 61 1,169 1,047 2,277 6,174 9,329 Jun : 819 819 102 1,370 924 2,396 5,864 9,079 Jul : 807 807 86 1,310 879 2,275 5,661 8,743 Aug : 767 767 97 1,218 831 2,146 5,873 8,786 Sep : 766 766 74 1,107 896 2,077 6,528 9,371 Oct : 769 769 63 1,605 1,091 2,759 6,659 10,187 Nov : 902 902 84 1,540 1,224 2,848 7,228 10,978 Dec : 1,015 1,015 85 1,632 1,552 3,269 7,348 11,632 : Fresh & : Frozen : Jan : * * 1,024 * 1,099 * 2,319 10,301 13,644 Feb : * * 978 * 748 * 1,860 7,992 10,830 Mar : * * 1,222 * 730 * 2,221 7,791 11,234 Apr : * * 1,130 * 928 * 2,048 7,146 10,324 May : * * 1,045 * 1,259 * 2,390 6,529 9,964 Jun : * * 1,014 * 1,472 * 2,508 6,271 9,793 Jul : * * 1,043 * 1,422 * 2,409 6,149 9,601 Aug : * * 958 * 1,339 * 2,280 6,350 9,588 Sep : * * 951 * 1,190 * 2,172 6,933 10,056 Oct : * * 965 * 1,699 * 2,864 7,157 10,986 Nov : * * 1,085 * 1,632 * 2,953 7,635 11,673 Dec : * * 1,167 * 1,710 * 3,357 7,759 12,283 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * 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 26 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: Acadiana Pride Haring's Pride America's Catch Heartland Catfish Amite River Industries Lake's Farm Raised Catfish, Inc Arkansas Catfish Growes LLC Prairie Lands Seafood Aqua Farm Catfish Pride of the Pond Carolina Classics Catfish, Inc. Pride of the South Catfish Co. Consolidated Catfish Co. LLC. Prime Line Catfish Co. Delta Pride Catfish, Inc Seabrook Seafood, Inc. Delta Supreme Fish Processing 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 April 22, 2003. 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). 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