Catfish Production National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released February 3, 1998, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Catfish Production" call Jim Brewster at (202) 720-8784, office hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. Catfish Sales Down 1 Percent Catfish growers in the 15 selected States had sales of 422 million dollars during 1997. These sales were down 1 percent from the 1996 total of 425 million dollars. Sales of all foodsize fish totaled 402 million dollars, down fractionally from last year's total of 403 million dollars. Sales of fingerlings and fry totaled 15.4 million dollars, compared with 16.1 million dollars in sales during 1996. Sales of stockers totaled 4.03 million dollars, down 16 percent from the 4.81 million dollars in sales during 1996. Sales of broodfish previously used for breeding totaled 476 thousand dollars, compared with 383 thousand during 1996. Direct sales to processors accounted for 94 percent of the total sales of foodsize fish. Eighty-two percent of the stocker sales were to other producers. Number of Operations Down 7 Percent The total number of operations on January 1, 1998 in the 15 selected States was 1,224 down 7 percent from the January 1, 1997 total of 1,319. The number of operations in the top 4 producing States (AL, AR, LA, and MS), also, decreased 7 percent from January 1, 1997. Water Acres Down 3 Percent The water surface acres being used for catfish production totaled 173 thousand acres, down 3 percent from the January 1, 1997 total. Of the total acres, 6,560 are to be renovated during the period of January 1, 1998 to June 30, 1998. An additional 1,790 acres are under construction or expected to be constructed and in use by July 1, 1998. During the period of July 1, 1997 through December 31, 1997, 3,343 acres were taken out of production. As of January 1, 1998, 6,177 acres were being used for broodfish production, 138,700 acres were being used for foodsize production and 21,960 acres were being used for fingerling production. Inventory Numbers Catfish producers had 1.19 million broodfish on hand January 1, 1998, up 2 percent from the 1.16 million on hand January 1, 1997. All foodsize fish on hand totaled 248 million on January 1, 1998, down 9 percent from the 271 million fish on hand the previous year. Of the total number of foodsize fish, 7.3 million were large foodsize (over 3 pounds per fish), 62.2 million were medium foodsize ( 1.50 pounds to 3 pounds per fish), and 178.5 million were small foodsize fish (0.75 pound to 1.50 pounds per fish). Total number of stockers on hand January 1, 1998, at 608 million, were down 19 percent from the previous year's 755 million stockers. The 608 million stockers included 268 million large stockers ((over 180 lbs. to 750 lbs.) per 1000 fish) and 340 million small stockers ((over 60 lbs. to 180 lbs.) per 1000 fish). There were 975 million fingerlings on hand January 1, 1998, up 12 percent from the 873 million fingerlings on hand January 1, 1997. Catfish: Number of Operations and Water Surface Acres, Used for Production, 1997-98 and Total Sales, 1996-97, by State -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number of : Water Surface Acres : : Operations : Used for Production : Total Sales State : on Jan 1 :During Jan 1 - Jun 30 : :------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1997 1/ : 1998 : 1997 1/ : 1998 : 1996 : 1997 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ----- Number ---- ------ Acres ------ 1,000 Dollars : AL : 245 235 21,000 21,800 52,795 53,740 AR : 180 165 28,500 27,000 52,214 50,480 CA : 50 64 2,400 2,300 6,873 8,225 FL : 12 14 100 150 148 352 KY : 20 18 280 140 517 905 LA : 108 101 14,300 13,500 27,838 30,783 MS : 360 331 102,000 100,000 274,559 265,934 MO : 65 60 2,400 1,900 1,746 2,022 NC : 60 53 1,400 1,300 2,466 2,194 OK : 35 25 550 450 376 385 SC : 25 20 1,200 1,100 3,223 2,833 TN : 19 19 290 280 284 327 TX : 74 57 1,900 2,000 936 2,244 : Oth Sts 2/ : 66 62 1,140 1,090 1,408 1,319 : Total : 1,319 1,224 177,460 173,010 425,383 421,743 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Revised. 2/ Includes GA and KS. Catfish: Utilization of Water Surface Acres During Jan 1-Jun 30, 1997 and Acres Taken Out of Production During Jul 1-Dec 31, 1996, by State -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Utilization During January 1-June 30 : :--------------------------------------------------------: Take Out : Currently Under : : : : of State : or Will Be : : : : Production :-----------------------: For : For : For : During : : New :Broodfish:Foodsize :Fingerlings :Jul 1-Dec 31 :Renovated:Construction : : : : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : AL : 580 850 580 17,400 2,300 330 AR : 1,000 1,000 750 23,000 4,000 400 CA : 190 200 110 1,900 290 30 FL : 10 * 20 15 60 * KY : * * 15 200 * * LA : 240 210 400 12,600 1,300 400 MS : 3,100 2,300 3,500 85,000 12,700 900 MO : 150 * 60 1,100 940 180 NC : 30 40 60 1,100 160 * OK : 40 20 70 310 110 * SC : 60 20 100 840 210 10 TN : * * 20 240 20 * TX : 90 * 210 980 490 60 : Oth Sts 1/: 60 30 170 680 270 165 : Total : 5,550 4,670 6,065 145,365 22,850 2,475 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Included in other States to avoid disclosure of individual operations. 1/ Includes GA and KS. Catfish: Intended Utilization of Water Surface Acres During Jan 1-Jun 30, 1998 and Acres Taken Out of Production During Jul 1-Dec 31, 1997, by State -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Intended Utilization During January 1-June 30 : :--------------------------------------------------------: Take Out : Currently Under : : : : of State : or Will Be : : : : Production :-----------------------: For : For : For : During : : New :Broodfish:Foodsize :Fingerlings :Jul 1-Dec 31 :Renovated:Construction : : : : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : AL : 330 580 590 18,400 1,900 250 AR : 650 500 750 21,200 4,200 900 CA : 180 90 90 1,900 270 70 FL : * * 30 35 70 * KY : * * 5 110 * * LA : 350 100 360 11,700 1,400 230 MS : 4,400 390 3,800 80,400 12,400 1,600 MO : 140 50 60 880 530 100 NC : 5 10 50 1,000 170 40 OK : 30 * 50 240 95 * SC : 200 * 60 840 200 * TN : 5 * 25 225 30 * TX : 120 * 180 1,200 430 20 : Oth Sts 1/: 150 70 127 570 265 133 : Total : 6,560 1,790 6,177 138,700 21,960 3,343 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Included in other States to avoid disclosure of individual operations. 1/ Includes GA and KS. Catfish: Number and Live Weight of Broodfish by State, January 1, 1997-98 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number of Fish : Live Weight of Fish State :-------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1997 : 1998 : 1997 : 1998 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 : AL : 138 142 686 750 AR : 150 180 730 830 CA : 15 25 55 100 FL : 7 12 31 42 LA : 100 33 460 173 MS : 641 661 3,120 3,183 MO : 8 9 38 46 NC : 10 54 75 242 OK : 39 14 190 67 SC : 14 20 73 81 TX : 25 15 122 76 : Oth Sts 1/ : 16 22 84 98 : Total : 1,163 1,187 5,664 5,688 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Included in other States to avoid disclosure of individual operations. 1/ Includes GA, KS, KY, and TN. Catfish: Number and Live Weight of Large Foodsize by State, January 1, 1997-98 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number of Fish : Live Weight of Fish State :-------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1997 : 1998 : 1997 : 1998 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 : AL : 1,106 1,135 3,553 3,654 AR : 1,225 1,360 4,200 4,390 CA : 170 100 600 320 KY : 19 12 65 39 LA : 1,560 1,485 5,400 5,230 MS : 3,324 2,898 10,777 9,607 NC : 48 55 158 202 OK : 11 4 37 14 SC : 82 61 273 205 TN : 14 28 56 99 TX : 62 75 228 291 : Oth Sts 1/ : 189 78 378 271 : Total : 7,810 7,291 25,725 24,322 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Included in Other States to avoid disclosure of individual operations. 1/ Includes FL, GA, KS and MO. Catfish: Number and Live Weight of Medium Foodsize by State, January 1, 1997-98 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number of Fish : Live Weight of Fish State :-------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1997 : 1998 : 1997 : 1998 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 : AL : 11,698 10,655 22,162 20,955 AR : 18,355 9,700 31,290 18,400 CA : 820 1,250 1,550 2,060 FL : 28 10 76 24 KY : 47 38 102 73 LA : 9,500 7,470 18,900 13,500 MS : 41,853 31,090 78,602 57,032 MO : 788 482 1,556 980 NC : 474 417 916 903 OK : 79 78 154 129 SC : 708 571 1,168 891 TN : 73 72 159 115 TX : 201 244 382 464 : Oth Sts 1/ : 101 63 157 128 : Total : 84,725 62,140 157,174 115,654 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Included in Other States to avoid disclosure of individual operations. 1/ Includes GA and KS. Catfish: Number and Live Weight of Small Foodsize by State, January 1, 1997-98 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number of Fish : Live Weight of Fish State :-------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1997 : 1998 : 1997 : 1998 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 : AL : 27,239 28,732 26,626 29,429 AR : 21,150 21,400 21,550 21,800 CA : 1,570 1,450 1,530 1,250 KY : 26 * 27 * LA : 16,300 11,860 16,200 12,315 MS : 108,569 111,358 113,439 107,769 MO : 716 749 693 853 NC : 1,071 1,246 1,141 1,242 OK : 79 91 81 80 SC : 983 596 936 526 TN : 114 87 99 85 TX : 354 464 350 508 : Oth Sts 1/ : 277 478 267 500 : Total : 178,448 178,511 182,939 176,357 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Included in Other States to avoid disclosure of individual operations. 1/ Includes FL, GA, and KS. Catfish: Number and Live Weight of Large Stockers by State, January 1, 1997-98 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number of Fish : Live Weight of Fish State :-------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1997 : 1998 : 1997 : 1998 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 : AL : 25,969 23,858 11,347 11,484 AR : 37,715 36,600 14,970 14,100 CA : 930 2,220 300 660 LA : 45,300 15,170 14,900 6,540 MS : 275,591 184,183 111,444 74,380 MO : 2,137 1,674 714 488 NC : 584 1,307 225 572 OK : 147 257 59 64 SC : 1,190 442 615 235 TX : 222 274 106 120 : Oth Sts 1/ : 589 1,511 210 738 : Total : 390,374 267,496 154,890 109,381 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Included in Other States to avoid disclosure of individual operations. 1/ Includes FL, GA, KS, KY, and TN. Catfish: Number and Live Weight of Small Stockers by State, January 1, 1997-98 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number of Fish : Live Weight of Fish State :-------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1997 : 1998 : 1997 : 1998 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 : AL : 23,184 20,213 2,137 1,989 AR : 86,570 66,000 8,375 5,550 CA : 930 3,660 100 500 FL : 144 * 10 * LA : 54,500 21,910 5,300 1,830 MS : 191,050 222,452 18,034 18,176 NC : 854 1,710 104 179 OK : 228 517 17 43 SC : 3,881 613 283 75 TX : 388 628 42 71 : Oth Sts 1/ : 2,713 2,679 278 289 : Total : 364,442 340,382 34,680 28,702 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Included in Other States to avoid disclosure of individual operations. 1/ Includes GA, KS, KY, MO, and TN. Catfish: Number and Live Weight of Fingerling by State, January 1, 1997-98 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number of Fish : Live Weight of Fish State :-------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1997 : 1998 : 1997 : 1998 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 : AL : 36,802 30,287 1,310 1,282 AR : 130,575 175,500 4,970 4,850 CA : 6,800 4,530 180 200 FL : 1,000 2,235 14 18 LA : 34,000 59,360 1,280 1,375 MS : 631,382 664,878 18,303 20,209 MO : 10,402 10,718 223 199 NC : 6,172 5,480 170 147 OK : 1,770 3,485 23 28 SC : 4,085 2,266 135 77 TX : 6,668 6,168 170 181 : Oth Sts 1/ : 3,801 10,635 164 156 : Total : 873,457 975,542 26,942 28,722 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Included in Other States to avoid disclosure of individual operations. 1/ Includes GA, KS, KY and TN. Catfish: Number, Weight, and Value of Sales of Broodfish for Breeding by State, 1996-97 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : Pounds : Value : Avg Value State : Sold : Sold : of Sales : per Pound :-------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ----------- 1,000 ----------- 1,000 Dollars -- Dollars -- : AR : 25 20 110 90 90 68 0.82 0.76 MS : 129 * 454 * 359 * 0.79 * SC : 38 * 160 * 200 * 1.25 * : Oth Sts 1/ : 19 11 77 42 76 43 0.99 1.02 : Total : 211 34 801 141 725 126 0.91 0.89 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Included in Other States to avoid disclosure of individual operations. 1/ Includes AL, FL, CA, GA, KS, KY, LA, MO, NC, OK, TN, and TX. Catfish: Number, Weight, and Value of Sales of Broodfish Previously Used for Breeding by State, 1996-97 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : Pounds : Value : Avg Value : Sold : Sold : of Sales : per Pound State :-------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ----------- 1,000 ----------- 1,000 Dollars -- Dollars -- : AR : 25 25 77 123 56 86 0.73 0.70 CA : 3 3 15 12 20 20 1.33 1.67 MS : 87 118 324 490 233 339 0.72 0.69 OK : 2 * 7 * 8 * 1.14 * : Oth Sts 1/ : 15 3 70 12 66 13 0.94 1.08 : Total : 132 151 493 647 383 476 0.78 0.74 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Included in Other States to avoid disclosure of individual operations. 1/ Includes AL, FL, GA, KS, KY, LA, MO, NC, SC, TN and TX. Catfish: Number, Weight, and Value of Sales of All Foodsize by State, 1996-97 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : Pounds : Value : Avg Value State : Sold : Sold : of Sales : per Pound :-------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- :------------- 1,000 ------------- 1,000 Dollars -- Dollars -- : AL : 43,038 34,407 72,692 77,416 51,611 52,643 0.71 0.68 AR : 40,352 43,300 57,680 65,000 44,088 45,370 0.76 0.70 CA : 1,690 2,668 3,750 4,452 6,600 7,895 1.76 1.77 FL : 7 * 14 * 6 * 0.43 * KY : 244 346 495 672 505 873 1.02 1.30 LA : 25,300 30,600 38,000 45,000 27,000 30,150 0.71 0.67 MS :258,883 268,700 344,480 360,000 265,250 255,600 0.77 0.71 MO : 711 810 1,388 1,504 1,030 1,136 0.74 0.76 NC : 1,611 1,594 2,802 2,524 2,213 1,887 0.79 0.75 OK : 138 137 215 224 200 192 0.93 0.86 SC : 1,986 1,533 2,898 2,646 2,733 2,676 0.94 1.01 TN : 92 208 123 235 223 285 1.81 1.21 TX : 395 2,098 689 2,062 685 1,947 0.99 0.94 : Oth Sts 1/ : 935 680 1,050 834 1,185 1,063 1.13 1.27 : Total :375,382 387,081 526,276 562,569 403,329 401,717 0.77 0.71 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Included in Other States to avoid disclosure of individual operations. 1/ Includes GA and KS. Catfish: Number, Weight, and Value of Sales of All Stockers by State, 1996-97 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : Pounds : Value : Avg Value State : Sold : Sold : of Sales : per Pound :-------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- :------------- 1,000 ------------ 1,000 Dollars -- Dollars -- : AR : 6,535 8,100 2,200 1,600 2,760 1,784 1.25 1.12 CA : 308 245 107 26 110 58 1.03 2.23 FL : 23 * 12 * 12 * 1.00 * MS : 7,264 6,251 575 800 737 804 1.28 1.01 NC : 313 85 36 9 33 26 0.92 2.89 OK : 717 831 78 89 67 131 0.86 1.47 SC : 493 452 249 132 155 73 0.62 0.55 TX : 358 519 126 160 135 162 1.07 1.01 : Oth Sts 1/ : 4,035 6,967 893 762 805 989 0.90 1.30 : Total :20,046 23,450 4,276 3,578 4,814 4,027 1.13 1.13 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Included in Other States to avoid disclosure of individual operations. 1/ Includes AL, GA, KS, KY, LA, MO, and TN. Catfish: Number, Weight, and Value of Sales of Fingerling and Fry by State, 1996-97 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : Pounds : Value : Avg Value State : Sold : Sold : of Sales : per Pound :-------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- :------------- 1,000 ------------ 1,000 Dollars -- Dollars -- : AL : * 45,525 * 500 * 1,025 * 2.05 AR :169,270 107,000 3,350 2,300 5,220 3,172 1.56 1.38 CA : 885 2,249 35 83 129 245 3.69 2.95 FL : 2,900 7,338 43 59 130 351 3.02 5.95 LA : 30,167 9,760 424 95 794 195 1.87 2.05 MS :336,809 364,375 4,888 5,909 7,980 9,183 1.63 1.55 NC : 3,158 3,935 88 110 220 281 2.50 2.55 OK : 2,000 900 47 27 101 62 2.15 2.30 SC : 1,739 1,368 69 39 135 69 1.96 1.77 TX : 1,183 1,290 36 46 114 133 3.17 2.89 : Oth Sts 1/ : 39,219 5,421 864 179 1,309 681 1.52 3.80 : Total :587,330 549,161 9,844 9,347 16,132 15,397 1.64 1.65 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Included in Other States to avoid disclosure of individual operations. 1/ Includes GA, KS, KY, MO, and TN. Catfish: Foodsize Percent Sold by Outlet Type by State, 1997 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : Retail : State : Livehauls : Fee/Rec : Process : Rest. & : Other : : Fishing : : Fd Stor : Outlets -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : AL : 0 2 93 1 4 AR : 3 0 97 0 0 CA : 14 3 0 65 18 FL : 0 0 30 0 70 KY : 0 73 0 1 26 LA : 0 0 99 0 1 MS : 0 0 98 0 2 MO : 58 18 3 3 18 NC : 0 0 96 1 3 OK : 18 8 43 0 31 SC : 4 2 92 1 1 TN : * 11 * 16 49 TX : 1 9 39 39 12 : Oth : Sts 1/ : 3 49 8 17 23 : Wt. Avg. : 1 1 94 2 2 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Included in Other States to avoid disclosure of individual operations. 1/ Includes GA and KS. Catfish: Stockers Percent Sold by Outlet Type by State, 1997 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : Fee/Rec : Other : : Other State : Livehauls : Fishing : Producers : Government : Outlets -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : CA : 30 6 26 38 0 MS : * * 87 * * MO : 15 19 53 4 9 OK : 37 13 32 1 17 SC : 0 8 0 0 92 TX : 2 28 31 0 39 : Oth : Sts 1/ : 2 2 91 1 4 : Wt. Avg.: 4 5 82 2 7 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Included in Other States to avoid disclosure of individual operations. 1/ Includes AL, AR, FL, GA, KS, KY, LA, NC, and TN. Catfish: Round Weight Processed by Month, United States, 1983-97 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Year : Jan : Feb : Mar : Apr : May : Jun -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Pounds : 1983 : 8,713 11,972 13,104 12,518 11,615 12,068 1984 : 13,265 14,585 14,658 13,349 12,856 11,130 1985 : 13,429 17,166 18,290 16,474 17,432 15,897 1986 : 19,761 19,083 18,664 16,354 16,013 15,951 1987 : 20,988 22,163 27,583 26,781 21,623 19,581 1988 : 26,018 27,786 28,179 20,805 20,351 22,839 1989 : 26,948 28,559 29,458 27,310 28,892 27,598 1990 : 33,066 31,884 33,120 30,980 31,542 28,967 1991 : 32,206 33,036 35,951 31,205 31,322 31,588 1992 : 36,200 39,228 45,048 41,177 39,111 36,813 1993 : 40,327 40,277 43,521 39,920 37,030 35,496 1994 : 36,714 35,035 40,446 34,494 34,163 34,595 1995 : 38,807 38,515 42,200 36,588 37,030 36,047 1996 : 38,475 38,004 46,376 38,557 39,517 36,752 1997 : 42,409 45,067 48,431 45,721 43,409 42,282 :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : Jul : Aug : Sep : Oct : Nov : Dec : Total :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Pounds : 1983 : 10,347 11,998 11,250 11,138 11,754 10,773 137,250 1984 : 12,181 13,379 12,520 12,588 12,527 11,217 154,255 1985 : 14,311 17,130 16,638 16,861 14,625 13,363 191,616 1986 : 17,036 18,663 18,859 20,453 17,107 15,812 213,756 1987 : 21,638 24,403 26,577 27,920 20,684 20,555 280,496 1988 : 23,687 26,941 24,611 26,221 25,037 22,634 295,109 1989 : 27,827 28,371 30,366 31,670 29,096 25,805 341,900 1990 : 29,540 31,108 27,566 29,211 27,913 25,538 360,435 1991 : 32,720 32,912 33,244 35,400 31,114 30,172 390,870 1992 : 36,128 37,958 37,857 39,212 35,073 33,562 457,367 1993 : 37,086 37,706 37,072 39,472 36,557 34,549 459,013 1994 : 35,901 39,813 38,716 39,072 36,054 34,266 439,269 1995 : 35,800 38,827 37,634 39,456 34,119 31,863 446,886 1996 : 39,025 40,463 38,807 42,070 37,203 36,874 472,123 1997 : 43,376 44,154 43,472 46,275 40,137 40,216 524,949 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Catfish: Prices Paid to Producers by Month, United States, 1983-97 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Year : Jan : Feb : Mar : Apr : May : Jun -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Cents per Pound : 1983 : 56 55 56 59 62 65 1984 : 61 66 72 74 73 74 1985 : 67 69 73 78 77 77 1986 : 70 70 72 74 72 68 1987 : 60 57 59 65 69 64 1988 : 68 72 75 75 75 78 1989 : 78 78 77 76 76 75 1990 : 72 74 78 78 78 78 1991 : 69 69 69 69 66 65 1992 : 53 56 60 63 63 61 1993 : 63 67 70 71 72 72 1994 : 74 77 79 80 80 80 1995 : 78 79 79 79 79 79 1996 : 77 78 78 78 79 79 1997 : 73 73 73 73 73 72 :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : Jul : Aug : Sep : Oct : Nov : Dec : Total :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : Cents per Pound : 1983 : 65 65 64 63 62 61 61.1 1984 : 74 72 69 67 65 65 69.3 1985 : 76 72 71 70 70 70 72.5 1986 : 66 63 63 62 61 61 66.8 1987 : 61 60 60 61 62 64 61.7 1988 : 80 80 79 79 78 78 76.4 1989 : 71 68 65 64 64 68 71.5 1990 : 76 76 76 76 75 72 75.8 1991 : 63 60 59 58 57 53 63.1 1992 : 59 58 59 61 62 63 59.8 1993 : 72 73 73 73 73 73 70.9 1994 : 80 80 80 77 77 77 78.4 1995 : 79 79 78 78 78 78 78.6 1996 : 79 78 77 76 75 73 77.3 1997 : 71 70 69 69 69 69 71.2 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Price of fish delivered to processing plant door. Price includes charges for services provided by the processing plant, but does not include any adjustments based on year-end settlements. Farm-raised Catfish: Imports of Catfish by Month, United States, 1983-97 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Year : Jan : Feb : Mar : Apr : May : Jun -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Pounds : 1983 : 434 210 283 375 283 101 1984 : 401 479 661 861 436 656 1985 : 589 425 976 602 214 928 1986 : 383 947 610 954 646 787 1987 : 583 1,241 256 1,012 688 301 1988 : 451 508 577 217 1,015 26 1989 : 588 117 795 417 952 584 1990 : 115 553 322 48 618 342 1991 : 355 344 93 641 184 484 1992 : 237 201 243 233 392 100 1993 : 118 183 127 328 204 253 1994 : 535 102 163 57 459 362 1995 : 61 49 172 181 384 203 1996 : 256 304 401 60 373 197 1997 : 64 44 44 15 0 71 :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : Jul : Aug : Sep : Oct : Nov : Dec : Total :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Pounds : 1983 : 445 434 468 631 523 87 4,274 1984 : 384 515 54 599 696 422 6,164 1985 : 871 423 832 96 603 501 7,060 1986 : 543 669 486 800 1,142 199 8,166 1987 : 624 570 622 642 76 464 7,079 1988 : 724 414 669 674 388 182 5,845 1989 : 689 422 756 414 66 1,024 6,824 1990 : 406 362 619 33 381 226 4,025 1991 : 723 621 80 974 93 594 5,186 1992 : 344 169 307 187 23 491 2,927 1993 : 277 444 426 596 781 373 4,110 1994 : 261 342 322 200 491 192 3,486 1995 : 294 245 402 219 35 181 2,426 1996 : 219 164 195 188 103 22 2,482 1997 : 134 235 32 163 121 2/ 2/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Data furnished by U.S. Bureau of Census. 2/ Data not available. Catfish Production Estimates Survey Procedures: About 1,400 operators were contacted during the first half of January by mail, telephone, and personal face-to-face interview, and 86 percent provided a usable report. An attempt was made to contact all known catfish producers during this time. States use every available source of producer names to make their list as complete as possible. Great care is exercised to ensure that all operations are accounted for in the estimates. Estimation Procedures: Sound statistical methodology is employed to derive the estimates from reported data. All data are analyzed for unusual values. Data from each operation are compared to their own past operating profile and to trends from similar operations. Data for missing operations are estimated based on similar operations or historical data. Reliability: Catfish production estimates are based on a census of all known active producers 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: Estimates for the previous year are subject to revision when current estimates are made. Revisions are the result of late or corrected data. Definitions Used for Catfish Production: Broodfish - Fish kept for egg production, including males. Broodfish produce the fertilized eggs which go to hatcheries. The most desirable size is 3 to 10 pounds or 4 to 6 years of age. Large Foodsize - Fish weighing over 3 pounds. Medium Foodsize - Fish weighing over one and one-half pounds to 3 pounds. Small Foodsize - Fish weighing over three-fourths pound to one and one-half pounds. Large Stockers - Fish weighing over (180 pounds to 750 pounds) per 1,000 fish. Small Stockers - Fish weighing over (60 pounds to 180 pounds) per 1,000 fish. Fingerlings/Fry - Fish weighing 60 pounds per 1,000 fish and less. The next "Catfish Production" report will be released at 3 p.m. ET on April 29, 1998. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in its programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, and marital or familial status. 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, write the Secretary of Agriculture, USDA, Washington, D.C., 20250, or call 1-800-245-6340 (voice) or 202-720-1127 (TDD). USDA is an equal employment opportunity employer. ACCESS TO REPORTS!! 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