Aq 1 (7-05) Catfish Processing National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released July 21, 2005, 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 Down 1 Percent Farm-raised catfish processed during June 2005 totaled 49.6 million pounds round weight, down 1 percent from June 2004. The average price paid to producers was 72.1 cents per pound for June 2005, down 0.1 cent from last month but 3.2 cents above a year ago. Net pounds of processed fish sold during June 2005 totaled 25.2 million pounds, up 1 percent from the comparable month in 2004. Total end of the month inventory decreased 3 percent from last month but was up 11 percent from a year ago. Sales of fresh fish, at 8.88 million pounds, were down 6 percent from June 2004 and represented 35 percent of total sales. Frozen fish sales, at 16.3 million pounds, were up 5 percent from a year ago and accounted for the remaining 65 percent of total fish sales. Sales of whole fish represented 15 percent of the total fish sold, fillets accounted for 61 percent, and the remaining 24 percent were mostly steaks, nuggets, and value added products. The June 2005 average price received by processors for total fresh fish was $2.32 per pound, an increase of 4 cents from last year. Prices for fresh whole fish were $1.58 per pound, up 1 cent from last year. Prices for fresh fillets were up 11 cents at $2.85 per pound. Total frozen fish averaged $2.27 per pound, up 5 cents from June 2004. Prices for frozen whole fish were up 5 cents at $2.01, and frozen fillets at $2.68 per pound were up 3 cents from a year ago. Freshwater imports of frozen, boneless, Ictalurus, Pangasius and Siluriformes catfish fillets for May 2005 totaled 2.70 million pounds, substantially above last year. Seventy-nine percent of all imports were from Vietnam with the remainder coming from Cambodia, China and China-Taipei. The Ictalurus (channel catfish) imports totaled 154 thousand pounds. Exports of frozen, boneless catfish fillets reported for May 2005 totaled 4.94 thousand pounds, all of which went to Canada. Fresh fillet exports totaled 79.0 thousand pounds, with 41.1 thousand pounds going to Canada and the rest to Mexico, Nigeria and the United Kingdom. Import and export data are compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Census. Special Note Pages 4 and 5 contain revisions for January - May 2005. Round & Gutted and Whole Dressed Fresh Fish were updated for incorrectly reported data. This also affected the Total Fresh, and the Total Fresh and Frozen Fish estimates for the same period. Farm-Raised Catfish: Quantity Processed by Major Processors, United States, 2004-2005 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Round Weight Processed : :-----------------------------------------------------------: Percent Month : Monthly :Percent of : Cumulative : of :-----------------------: Previous :-----------------------: Previous : 2004 : 2005 : Year : 2004 : 2005 : Year -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : -- 1,000 Pounds -- Percent --- 1,000 Pounds -- Percent : Jan : 53,849 53,856 100 53,849 53,856 100 Feb : 54,173 51,720 95 108,022 105,576 98 Mar : 60,272 57,117 95 168,294 162,693 97 Apr : 53,896 50,306 93 222,190 212,999 96 May : 52,324 51,552 99 274,514 264,551 96 Jun : 50,155 49,626 99 324,669 314,177 97 Jul : 51,055 375,724 Aug : 53,295 429,019 Sep : 51,329 480,348 Oct : 52,396 532,744 Nov : 49,536 582,280 Dec : 48,170 630,450 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Farm-Raised Catfish: Prices Paid to Producers by Processors and Imports, United States, 2004-2005 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Price per : Change : : Percent Month : Pound 1/ : from : Imports 2/ : of :-----------------------: Previous :-----------------------: Previous : 2004 : 2005 : Year : 2004 : 2005 : Year -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---- Dollars ---- Dollars 1,000 Pounds Percent : Jan : 0.668 0.725 0.057 215 1,383 643 Feb : 0.703 0.731 0.028 204 1,230 603 Mar : 0.723 0.733 0.010 295 1,161 394 Apr : 0.728 0.725 -0.003 328 2,198 670 May : 0.720 0.722 0.002 248 2,695 1,087 Jun : 0.689 0.721 0.032 270 Jul : 0.682 123 Aug : 0.683 1,637 Sep : 0.683 1,801 Oct : 0.695 1,104 Nov : 0.689 1,579 Dec : 0.690 1,420 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Price for 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 adjustments based on year-end settlements. 2/ Pounds of frozen boneless fillets. Includes Ictalurus, Pangasius and Silurformes catfish. Data furnished by U.S. Bureau of Census. Catfish Processors: Sales Volume, Average Price, and Ending Inventory, United States, June 2004-2005 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Sales : Average : Ending : Volume : Price : Inventory Item :--------------------------------------------------------- : 2004 : 2005 : 2004 : 2005 : 2004 : 2005 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Pounds Dollars per Pound 1,000 Pounds : Fresh Fish : Whole : Round & Gutted : 876 1,291 1.03 1.19 * * Whole Dressed : 1,831 1,474 1.80 1.85 * * Total : 2,707 2,765 1.57 1.58 237 175 : Other : Steaks : 110 95 2.11 2.16 * * Nuggets : 821 771 1.27 1.30 103 94 Other 1/ : 317 264 2.99 3.04 * * Total : 1,248 1,130 1.78 1.78 134 114 : Fillets 2/ : 5,500 4,987 2.74 2.85 579 495 : Total Fresh : 9,455 8,882 2.28 2.32 950 784 : Frozen Fish : Whole Dressed : 1,024 1,008 1.96 2.01 1,133 736 : Other : Steaks : 115 114 1.92 1.97 64 118 Nuggets : 3,480 3,244 0.93 0.93 2,216 2,288 Other 1/ : 1,243 1,592 2.71 2.49 796 898 Total : 4,838 4,950 1.41 1.46 3,076 3,304 : Fillets 2/ : 9,579 10,314 2.65 2.68 6,232 7,784 : Total Frozen : 15,441 16,272 2.22 2.27 10,441 11,824 : Fresh & Frozen Fish : Whole : Round & Gutted : 876 1,291 1.03 1.19 * * Whole Dressed : 2,855 2,482 1.86 1.91 * * Total : 3,731 3,773 1.68 1.69 1,370 911 : Other : Steaks : 225 209 2.01 2.06 * * Nuggets : 4,301 4,015 0.99 1.00 2,319 2,382 Other 1/ : 1,560 1,856 2.77 2.57 * * Total : 6,086 6,080 1.49 1.52 3,210 3,418 : Fillets 2/ : 15,079 15,301 2.68 2.74 6,811 8,279 : Total Fresh & Frozen : 24,896 25,154 2.24 2.28 11,391 12,608 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * 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: Sales Volume United States, January-May 2005 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Item : Jan : Feb : Mar : Apr : May -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Pounds : Fresh Fish : Whole : Round & Gutted : *1,155 *1,267 *1,570 *1,404 *1,246 Whole Dressed : *1,956 *1,910 *1,832 *1,534 *1,433 Total : 3,111 3,177 3,402 2,938 2,679 : Other : Steaks : 104 97 103 106 98 Nuggets : 948 961 973 915 832 Other 1/ : 248 237 294 250 274 Total : 1,300 1,295 1,370 1,271 1,204 : Fillets 2/ : 5,274 5,615 5,795 4,979 5,274 : Total Fresh : 9,685 10,087 10,567 9,188 9,157 : Frozen Fish : Whole Dressed : 1,116 1,117 1,166 1,141 1,091 : Other : Steaks : 194 108 133 126 98 Nuggets : 3,209 3,068 3,103 2,621 3,167 Other 1/ : 1,382 1,677 1,680 1,036 1,325 Total : 4,785 4,853 4,916 3,783 4,590 : Fillets 2/ : 10,618 10,469 10,824 10,424 10,926 : Total Frozen : 16,519 16,439 16,906 15,348 16,607 : Fresh & Frozen Fish : Whole : Round & Gutted : *1,155 *1,267 *1,570 *1,404 *1,246 Whole Dressed : *3,072 *3,027 *2,998 *2,675 *2,524 Total : 4,227 4,294 4,568 4,079 3,770 : Other : Steaks : 298 205 236 232 196 Nuggets : 4,157 4,029 4,076 3,536 3,999 Other 1/ : 1,630 1,914 1,974 1,286 1,599 Total : 6,085 6,148 6,286 5,054 5,794 : Fillets 2/ : 15,892 16,084 16,619 15,403 16,200 : Total Fresh & Frozen : 26,204 26,526 27,473 24,536 25,764 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Revised. 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: Average Price United States, January-May 2005 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Item : Jan : Feb : Mar : Apr : May -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dollars per Pound : Fresh Fish : Whole : Round & Gutted : *1.25 *1.27 *1.26 *1.23 *1.21 Whole Dressed : *1.83 *1.83 *1.85 *1.88 *1.88 Total : *1.64 *1.64 *1.61 *1.61 *1.61 : Other : Steaks : 2.12 2.12 2.15 2.18 2.16 Nuggets : 1.27 1.29 1.30 1.29 1.30 Other 1/ : 3.02 3.03 3.05 3.03 3.05 Total : 1.67 1.67 1.74 1.71 1.77 : Fillets 2/ : 2.81 2.75 2.85 2.87 2.86 : Total Fresh : 2.28 2.26 *2.31 *2.31 2.35 : Frozen Fish : Whole Dressed : 1.97 2.01 1.98 2.01 2.02 : Other : Steaks : 1.71 1.96 1.94 1.87 1.98 Nuggets : 1.00 1.03 1.05 1.00 0.93 Other 1/ : 2.80 2.78 2.81 2.68 2.68 Total : 1.55 1.66 1.68 1.49 1.46 : Fillets 2/ : 2.66 2.66 2.70 2.66 2.64 : Total Frozen : 2.29 2.32 2.35 2.32 2.27 : Fresh & Frozen Fish : Whole : Round & Gutted : *1.25 *1.27 *1.26 *1.23 *1.21 Whole Dressed : *1.88 *1.90 *1.90 *1.94 *1.94 Total : *1.73 *1.74 *1.71 *1.72 *1.73 : Other : Steaks : 1.85 2.04 2.03 2.01 2.07 Nuggets : 1.06 1.09 1.11 1.08 1.01 Other 1/ : 2.83 2.81 2.85 2.75 2.74 Total : 1.57 1.66 1.69 1.54 1.52 : Fillets 2/ : 2.71 2.69 2.75 2.73 2.71 : Total Fresh & Frozen : 2.29 2.30 *2.34 *2.32 2.30 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Revised. 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 21 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 Aqua Farm Catfish Lake's Farm Raised Catfish, Inc Carolina Classics Catfish, Inc. Pride of the Pond Consolidated Catfish Co. LLC. Pride of the South Catfish Co. Delta Pride Catfish, Inc Prime Line Catfish Co. Delta Supreme Fish Processing Seabrook Seafood, Inc. Fish Breeders of Idaho Simmons Farm-Raised Freshwater Farms Products LLC. Southern Pride Guidry Catfish Processors, Inc. *Southfresh Farms Harvest Select Superior Fish Processors Haring's Pride * Estimated 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!! 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