Aq 1 (3-07) Catfish Processing National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released March 21, 2007, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Catfish Processing" call Fleming Gibson at 202-690-3237, office hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. Catfish Processing Down 10 from Last Year Farm-raised catfish processed during February 2007 totaled 44.4 million pounds round weight, down 10 percent from February 2006. The average price paid to producers was 83.8 cents per pound for February 2007, unchanged from last month but 10.9 cents above a year ago. Net pounds of processed fish sold during February 2007 totaled 23.2 million pounds, down 15 percent from the comparable month in 2006. The total end of the month inventory decreased 11 percent from last month but was up 50 percent from a year ago. Sales of fresh fish, at 8.08 million pounds, were down 15 percent from February 2006 and represented 35 percent of total sales. Frozen fish sales, at 15.1 million pounds, were down 15 percent from a year ago and accounted for the remaining 65 percent of total fish sales. Sales of whole fish represented 16 percent of the total fish sold, fillets accounted for 58 percent, and the remaining 26 percent were mostly steaks, nuggets, and value added products. The February 2007 average price received by processors for total fresh fish was $2.57 per pound, up 32 cents from last year. Prices for fresh whole fish were $1.78 per pound, up 29 cents from February 2006. Prices for fresh fillets were up 37 cents at $3.24 per pound. Total frozen fish averaged $2.47 per pound, up 16 cents from February 2006. Prices for frozen whole dressed fish were up 26 cents at $2.27 and frozen fillets at $3.08 per pound were up 39 cents from a year ago. Freshwater imports of Ictalurus spp., Pangasius spp., and other catfish of the order Siluriformes for January 2007 totaled 12.1 million pounds, up significantly from the amount imported in January 2006. Imports were from Brazil, Canada, China, China - Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Spain, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Ictalurus spp. imports totaled 4.38 million pounds, which were all from Brazil, Canada, and China. Fresh fillet exports totaled 69.7 thousand pounds, with 56.3 thousand pounds going to Canada and the rest to Kuwait, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. No exports of frozen, boneless catfish fillets were reported for January 2007. Import and export data are compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau. Farm-Raised Catfish: Quantity Processed and Prices Received by Producers, United States, 2006-2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Round Weight Processed :-------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Monthly : Cumulative : Price per Pound 1/ :-------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : : : : : : Change : : : Pct of : : : Pct of : : : from Month: 2006 : 2007 : 2006 : 2006 : 2007 : 2006 : 2006 : 2007 : 2006 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Pounds Percent 1,000 Pounds Percent ------ Dollars ----- : Jan2/: 50,703 46,957 93 50,703 46,957 93 0.727 0.838 0.111 Feb : 49,145 44,439 90 99,848 91,396 92 0.729 0.838 0.109 Mar : 56,315 156,163 0.745 Apr : 43,126 199,289 0.785 May : 42,865 242,154 0.796 Jun : 41,214 283,368 0.807 Jul : 45,528 328,896 0.812 Aug : 51,736 380,632 0.811 Sep : 47,296 427,928 0.832 Oct : 50,788 478,716 0.836 Nov : 45,680 524,396 0.837 Dec : 41,735 566,131 0.838 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Quantity processed by major processors and the prices received for fish delivered to the processing plant's 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/ Revised 2007 data only. Catfish Processors: Sales Volume and Average Price United States, February 2006-2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Sales : Average : Volume : Price1/ Item :----------------------------------------------------------- :Feb 2006:Jan 20072/:Feb 2007:Feb 2006 :Jan 20072/:Feb 2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------ 1,000 Pounds ------ --- Dollars per Pound --- : Fresh Fish : Whole : Round & Gutted : 1,774 1,337 1,399 1.13 1.32 1.31 Whole Dressed 3/: 1,557 1,479 1,449 1.83 2.15 2.14 Total : 3,331 2,816 2,848 1.49 1.79 1.78 : Other : Steaks : 79 82 85 2.17 2.51 2.47 Nuggets 4/ : 781 703 628 1.27 1.40 1.38 Other 5/ : 164 104 137 3.09 3.36 3.41 Total : 1,024 889 850 1.63 1.73 1.82 : Fillets 6/ : 5,109 4,247 4,380 2.87 3.28 3.24 : Total Fresh : 9,464 7,952 8,078 2.25 2.58 2.57 : Frozen Fish : Whole Dressed 3/ : 1,256 946 863 2.01 2.26 2.27 : Other : Steaks : 103 92 68 2.06 2.38 2.30 Nuggets 4/ : 3,214 3,227 3,647 0.91 0.92 0.97 Other 5/ : 1,894 1,361 1,427 2.57 2.59 2.47 Total : 5,211 4,680 5,142 1.54 1.43 1.43 : Fillets 6/ : 11,418 9,868 9,117 2.69 3.09 3.08 : Total Frozen : 17,885 15,494 15,122 2.31 2.54 2.47 : Fresh & Frozen Fish : Whole : Round & Gutted : 1,774 1,337 1,399 1.13 1.32 1.31 Whole Dressed 3/: 2,813 2,425 2,312 1.91 2.19 2.19 Total : 4,587 3,762 3,711 1.64 1.91 1.89 : Other : Steaks : 182 174 153 2.11 2.44 2.39 Nuggets 4/ : 3,995 3,930 4,275 0.98 1.01 1.03 Other 5/ : 2,058 1,465 1,564 2.61 2.64 2.63 Total : 6,235 5,569 5,992 1.55 1.48 1.48 : Fillets 6/ : 16,527 14,115 13,497 2.75 3.15 3.13 : Total Fresh & Frozen: 27,349 23,446 23,200 2.29 2.55 2.51 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Not published to avoid disclosure of individual operations. 1/ Gross value f.o.b. plant. 2/ Revised. 3/ Dressed weight (head, viscera, and skin removed). 4/ Includes weight of breading and added ingredients. 5/ Includes all products not already reported including weight of breading and added ingredients. 6/ Includes regular, shank, and strip fillets; excludes any breaded products. Catfish Processors: Ending Inventory United States, February 2006-2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Ending Inventory Item :----------------------------------------------------- : Feb 2006 : Jan 20071/ : Feb 2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Pounds : Fresh Fish : Whole : Round & Gutted : * * * Whole Dressed 2/ : * * * Total : 209 228 212 : Other : Steaks : * * * Nuggets 3/ : 109 121 89 Other 4/ : * * * Total : 126 127 98 : Fillets 5/ : 501 640 457 : Total Fresh : 836 995 767 : Frozen Fish : Whole Dressed 2/ : 1,058 970 1,094 : Other : Steaks : 87 203 210 Nuggets 3/ : 1,245 2,184 1,413 Other 4/ : 1,044 1,846 1,549 Total : 2,376 4,233 3,172 : Fillets 5/ : 6,838 12,474 11,599 : Total Frozen : 10,272 17,677 15,865 : Fresh & Frozen Fish : Whole : Round & Gutted : * * * Whole Dressed 2/ : * * * Total : 1,267 1,198 1,306 : Other : Steaks : * * * Nuggets 3/ : 1,354 2,305 1,502 Other 4/ : * * * Total : 2,502 4,360 3,270 : Fillets 5/ : 7,339 13,114 12,056 : Total Fresh & Frozen : 11,108 18,672 16,632 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Not published to avoid disclosure of individual operations. 1/ Revised. 2/ Dressed weight (head, viscera, and skin removed). 3/ Includes weight of breading and added ingredients. 4/ Includes all products not already reported including weight of breading and added ingredients. 5/ Includes regular, shank, and strip fillets; excludes any breaded products. Farm-Raised Catfish: Imports, United States, 2006-2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Imports 1/ :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : Ictalurus spp. : Total 2/ :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : Percent : : : Percent : : : of : : : of : : : 2006 : : : 2006 Month : 2006 : 2007 : : 2006 : 2007 : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Pounds Percent -- 1,000 Pounds -- Percent : Jan : 415 4,381 1,055 2,644 12,056 456 Feb : 417 2,491 Mar : 388 3,267 Apr : 403 3,119 May : 356 3,306 Jun : 909 4,424 Jul : 547 5,232 Aug : 819 8,991 Sep : 391 9,091 Oct : 1,406 10,672 Nov : 2,399 12,830 Dec : 3,421 8,897 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Data furnished by the U.S. Census Bureau. 2/ Includes freshwater imports for consumption of "Ictalurus" spp., "Pangasius" spp., and other catfish of the order Siluriformes. Farm-Raised Catfish: Exports, United States, 2006-2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Exports 1/ :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : Fresh : Frozen :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : Percent : : : Percent : : : of : : : of : : : 2006 : : : 2006 Month : 2006 : 2007 : : 2006 : 2007 : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Pounds Percent 1,000 Pounds Percent : Jan : 73.5 69.7 95 34.3 0.0 Feb : 63.7 15.3 Mar : 78.8 8.6 Apr : 68.4 21.2 May : 58.3 19.0 Jun : 49.7 12.5 Jul : 83.0 36.7 Aug : 106.6 15.2 Sep : 73.6 10.5 Oct : 56.4 11.8 Nov : 40.1 23.5 Dec : 79.3 4.9 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Data furnished by the U.S. Census Bureau. Reliability of Catfish Processing Estimates Survey Procedures: Survey data for catfish processing are collected from approximately 20 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.. However, NASS field offices are responsible for informing Headquarter's staff of any new processing operations in their state to ensure a complete survey coverage. Processors are contacted either by mail, telephone, fax or internet. 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 a 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 7 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, a 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. 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 catfish, which are compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau, are also included in this report. Revision Policy: Revisions may be necessary in the previous month's publication based on late reports received from plants. These revisions are made to improve month to month relationships. In February, all monthly estimates for the previous year are reviewed and subject to revision. This review is primarily based on data that may have been received after the original estimates were published. Reliability: 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. Terms and Definitions Used for Catfish Processing Estimates: 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. Ictalurus spp. - All species under this genus, which includes channel catfish, blue catfish, and other catfish species. Nuggets - Small fillets cuts from below the rib section of the fish and usually includes breading or added ingredients. Pangasius spp. - All species under this genus, which includes basa, tra, stuchi catfish, and other catfish species. Round & Gutted Only - Fish with no processing done or viscera only removed. Round Weight - The term for a fish's live weight. Siluriformes - The scientific order which contains all families of catfish. Steaks - Cross-section cuts from larger dressed fish. Strips - Finger size pieces of fish cut from fillets and 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, Inc. Harvest Select Catfish, Inc. Carolina Classics Catfish, Inc. Heartland Catfish Consolidated Catfish Co., LLC *Lake's Farm Raised Catfish, Inc. Delta Pride Catfish, Inc. Pride of the Pond Delta Supreme Fish Processing Prime Line Catfish Co. Fish Breeders of Idaho, Inc. Seabrook Seafood, Inc. Farm Catch Catfish Processors, Inc. Simmons Farm Raised Catfish, Inc. Freshwater Farms Products, LLC Southern Pride Catfish, LLC Guidry Catfish Processors, Inc. *SouthFresh Farms Haring's Pride Catfish Superior Fish Processors *Estimated Information Contacts Listed below are the commodity specialists in the Livestock Branch of the National Agricultural Statistics Service to contact for additional information. Dan Kerestes, Chief, Livestock Branch(202) 720-3570 Darin Jantzi, Head, Poultry and Specialty Commodities Section(202) 720-3570 Mark Aitken - Layers, Eggs(202) 690-8632 David Colwell - Cold Storage(202) 720-8784 Fleming Gibson - Egg Products, Poultry Slaughter, Catfish Processing, Mink . .(202) 690-3237 Sharyn Lavender - Broiler Hatchery, Chicken Hatchery, Honey(202) 720-3244 Toby Paterson - Catfish Production, Trout Production, Census of Aquaculture, Turkey Hatchery, Turkeys Raised(202) 720-0585 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: www.nass.usda.gov. E-MAIL SUBSCRIPTION All NASS reports are available by subscription free of charge direct to your e-mail address. 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