Catfish Production ISSN: 1948-271X Released January 27, 2012, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Catfish Value of Sales Up 5 Percent from 2010 Catfish growers in the United States had sales of 423 million dollars during 2011, up 5 percent from 403 million dollars the previous year. The top four States (Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, and Texas) accounted for 95 percent of the United States total sales. The United States total foodsize sales of 391 million dollars increased by 4 percent over 2010. Sales of stockers totaled 17.1 million dollars in 2011, compared to 13.8 million dollars in 2010. Fingerling and fry sales totaled 14.6 million dollars, up 9 percent from 2010. By point of first sale, direct sales to processors accounted for 95 percent of total foodsize fish sales, unchanged from the previous year. Direct sales to other producers accounted for 73 percent of stocker sales compared with 83 percent in 2010. Water Surface Acres Down 10 Percent from January 1, 2011 The water surface acres being used for catfish production as of January 1, 2012, totaled 89.4 thousand acres, down 10 percent from the 99.6 thousand acres used a year earlier. Of the total acres, 3.08 thousand are to be renovated during the period of January 1 to June 30, 2012. An additional 420 acres are under construction or expected to be constructed and in use by July 1, 2012. During the period of July 1 through December 31, 2011, the area taken out of production totaled 2.96 thousand acres. As of January 1, 2012, foodsize fish were produced on 71.5 thousand acres, fingerling-producing acres totaled 13.7 thousand, and 2.24 thousand acres were being used for broodfish production. Inventory Numbers Catfish producers had 562 thousand broodfish on hand January 1, 2012, up 14 percent from January 1, 2011. Large foodsize fish on hand totaled 3.6 million on January 1, 2012, a 42 percent decrease from a year ago. The number of medium foodsize fish increased 20 percent to 64.7 million, while small foodsize fish numbers decreased 2 percent to 113 million. Large stockers on hand January 1, 2012, at 165 million fish, were up 4 percent from the previous year. Small stocker numbers increased 34 percent to 298 million. There were 451 million fingerlings on hand January 1, 2012, down 21 percent from January 1, 2011. Number of Catfish Operations, Water Surface Acres Used for Production, and Total Sales - States and United States: 2010-2012 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number of : Water surface acres : : operations : used for production : Total sales State : on January 1 1/ :during January 1 - June 30 : :--------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 2011 : 2012 : 2011 : 2012 : 2010 : 2011 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---- number ---- ------- acres ------ -- 1,000 dollars -- : Alabama ........: (NA) (NA) 19,200 18,500 107,459 132,782 Arkansas .......: (NA) (NA) 13,200 9,700 40,777 33,452 California .....: (NA) (NA) 1,700 1,600 6,887 8,535 Louisiana ......: (NA) (NA) 1,500 890 5,994 2,610 Mississippi ....: (NA) (NA) 55,500 51,200 217,774 215,134 North Carolina .: (NA) (NA) 1,900 1,600 5,273 5,539 Texas ..........: (NA) (NA) 2,900 2,800 13,023 20,124 : Other States 2/ : (NA) (NA) 3,700 3,100 5,397 5,257 : United States ..: 908 718 99,600 89,390 402,584 423,433 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (NA) Not available. 1/ State level number of operations will only be published every five years in conjunction with the Census of Agriculture. 2/ Other States include State estimates not shown and States suppressed due to disclosure. Catfish Water Surface Acre Usage - States and United States: 2010-2012 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Acres intended for utilization during January 1 - June 30 : Acres taken out :-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------: of production : : : : : : : Currently under : during : : : : : : : or scheduled for: : July 1 - State : Foodsize : Fingerlings : Broodfish :-----------------------------------: December 31 : : : : : : : Renovation :New construction : : :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 2011 : 2012 : 2011 : 2012 : 2011 : 2012 : 2011 : 2012 : 2011 : 2012 : 2010 : 2011 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : acres : Alabama ........: 18,400 17,800 460 430 120 130 240 510 10 (D) 870 200 Arkansas .......: 10,500 7,200 2,000 1,900 280 200 220 320 - - 3,000 1,200 California .....: 1,100 1,100 180 240 60 85 (D) (D) (D) (D) - (D) Louisiana ......: 1,400 890 (D) - - - 10 (D) - - 400 480 Mississippi ....: 43,500 39,300 9,100 9,600 1,300 1,500 2,300 1,700 - 85 5,600 700 North Carolina .: 1,600 1,400 170 (D) 60 (D) 40 75 10 (D) 70 15 Texas ..........: 2,600 2,500 100 110 90 65 200 90 80 40 290 210 : Other States 1/ : 1,400 1,300 1,250 1,455 330 260 140 385 25 295 20 150 : United States ..: 80,500 71,490 13,260 13,735 2,240 2,240 3,150 3,080 125 420 10,250 2,955 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - Represents zero. (D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations. 1/ Other States include State estimates not shown and States suppressed due to disclosure. Catfish Inventory by Size Category - States and United States: January 1, 2011 and 2012 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : Live weight Size category : Number of fish :------------------------------------------- and State : : : Total : Average :----------------------------------------------------------------- : 2011 : 2012 : 2011 : 2012 : 2011 : 2012 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------ 1,000 ----- -- 1,000 pounds -- pounds per fish : Large foodsize : Alabama ............: 2,000 1,360 7,000 4,700 3.5 3.5 Arkansas ...........: 440 190 1,490 608 3.4 3.2 California .........: 32 (D) 114 (D) 3.6 (D) Louisiana ..........: 120 (D) 360 (D) 3.0 (D) Mississippi ........: 2,600 1,210 8,500 4,100 3.3 3.4 North Carolina .....: 490 135 1,610 487 3.3 3.6 Texas ..............: 450 290 1,570 993 3.5 3.4 : Other States 1/ ....: 80 415 279 1,477 3.5 3.6 : United States ......: 6,212 3,600 20,923 12,365 3.4 3.4 : Medium foodsize : Alabama ............: 14,600 18,300 28,900 36,300 2.0 2.0 Arkansas ...........: 4,980 4,490 9,500 8,300 1.9 1.8 California .........: 560 230 1,140 449 2.0 2.0 Louisiana ..........: 810 (D) 1,330 (D) 1.6 (D) Mississippi ........: 28,000 33,400 55,000 61,000 2.0 1.8 North Carolina .....: 1,550 1,080 2,850 1,990 1.8 1.8 Texas ..............: 3,290 5,780 6,050 11,000 1.8 1.9 : Other States 1/ ....: 340 1,460 674 2,530 2.0 1.7 : United States ......: 54,130 64,740 105,444 121,569 1.9 1.9 : Small foodsize : Alabama ............: 31,400 31,800 31,300 32,200 1.0 1.0 Arkansas ...........: 15,400 8,410 15,900 8,150 1.0 1.0 California .........: 1,540 (D) 1,360 (D) 0.9 (D) Louisiana ..........: 1,010 1,560 990 1,130 1.0 0.7 Mississippi ........: 60,000 65,700 60,000 65,900 1.0 1.0 North Carolina .....: 2,900 2,150 3,400 2,050 1.2 1.0 Texas ..............: 2,150 1,140 2,180 1,290 1.0 1.1 : Other States 1/ ....: 1,160 2,210 1,460 2,030 1.3 0.9 : United States ......: 115,560 112,970 116,590 112,750 1.0 1.0 : Total foodsize : Alabama ............: 48,000 51,460 67,200 73,200 (NA) (NA) Arkansas ...........: 20,820 13,090 26,890 17,058 (NA) (NA) California .........: 2,132 1,520 2,614 1,837 (NA) (NA) Louisiana ..........: 1,940 2,670 2,680 3,184 (NA) (NA) Mississippi ........: 90,600 100,310 123,500 131,000 (NA) (NA) North Carolina .....: 4,940 3,365 7,860 4,527 (NA) (NA) Texas ..............: 5,890 7,210 9,800 13,283 (NA) (NA) : Other States 1/ ....: 1,580 1,685 2,413 2,595 (NA) (NA) : United States ......: 175,902 181,310 242,957 246,684 (NA) (NA) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- See footnote(s) at end of table. --continued Catfish Inventory by Size Category - States and United States: January 1, 2011 and 2012 (continued) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : Live weight Size category : Number of fish :------------------------------------------- and State : : : Total : Average :----------------------------------------------------------------- : 2011 : 2012 : 2011 : 2012 : 2011 : 2012 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------ 1,000 ----- 1,000 pounds pounds per 1,000 fish : Large stockers : Alabama ............: 45,300 49,600 14,800 17,300 327 349 Arkansas ...........: 19,600 11,000 7,350 4,100 375 373 California .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Louisiana ..........: (D) 170 (D) 50 (D) 294 Mississippi ........: 87,000 92,000 38,000 36,100 437 392 North Carolina .....: 2,770 5,280 1,800 2,950 650 559 Texas ..............: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) : Other States 1/ ....: 3,700 7,360 1,354 3,994 366 543 : United States ......: 158,370 165,410 63,304 64,494 400 390 : Small stockers : Alabama ............: 50,500 126,000 4,500 12,100 89.1 96.0 Arkansas ...........: 32,500 42,100 3,000 3,700 92.3 87.9 California .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Louisiana ..........: (D) - (D) - (D) - Mississippi ........: 130,000 118,000 13,400 11,900 103.1 100.8 North Carolina .....: 3,260 7,960 450 1,160 138.0 145.7 Texas ..............: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) : Other States 1/ ....: 6,030 4,020 615 369 102.0 91.8 : United States ......: 222,290 298,080 21,965 29,229 98.8 98.1 : Total stockers : Alabama ............: 95,800 175,600 19,300 29,400 (NA) (NA) Arkansas ...........: 52,100 53,100 10,350 7,800 (NA) (NA) California .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (NA) (NA) Louisiana ..........: (D) 170 (D) 50 (NA) (NA) Mississippi ........: 217,000 210,000 51,400 48,000 (NA) (NA) North Carolina .....: 6,030 13,240 2,250 4,110 (NA) (NA) Texas ..............: 460 (D) 70 (D) (NA) (NA) : Other States 1/ ....: 9,270 11,380 1,899 4,363 (NA) (NA) : United States ......: 380,660 463,490 85,269 93,723 (NA) (NA) : Fingerlings : Alabama ............: 54,000 38,100 2,300 1,120 42.6 29.4 Arkansas ...........: 82,600 42,000 3,350 1,570 40.6 37.4 California .........: 4,980 3,710 188 110 37.8 29.6 Louisiana ..........: (D) - (D) - (D) - Mississippi ........: 410,000 332,000 16,300 10,400 39.8 31.3 North Carolina .....: 3,320 7,090 100 197 30.1 27.8 Texas ..............: 2,550 (D) 80 (D) 31.4 (D) : Other States 1/ ....: 11,540 28,200 319 644 27.6 22.8 : United States ......: 568,990 451,100 22,637 14,041 39.8 31.1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- See footnote(s) at end of table. --continued Catfish Inventory by Size Category - States and United States: January 1, 2011 and 2012 (continued) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : Live weight Size category : Number of fish :------------------------------------------- and State : : : Total : Average :----------------------------------------------------------------- : 2011 : 2012 : 2011 : 2012 : 2011 : 2012 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---- 1,000 --- 1,000 pounds pounds per fish : Broodfish : Alabama ............: 30 15 120 52 4.0 3.5 Arkansas ...........: 45 70 183 266 4.1 3.8 California .........: 7 15 47 95 6.7 6.3 Louisiana ..........: - - - - - - Mississippi ........: 330 380 1,750 1,930 5.3 5.1 North Carolina .....: 13 7 93 68 7.2 9.7 Texas ..............: 30 15 130 63 4.3 4.2 : Other States 1/ ....: 40 60 232 337 5.8 5.6 : United States ......: 495 562 2,555 2,811 5.2 5.0 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Represents zero. (D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations. (NA) Not available. 1/ Other States include State estimates not shown and States suppressed due to disclosure. Catfish Sales by Size Category - States and United States: 2010 and 2011 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : Live weight : Sales : Number of fish :--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Size category : : : Total : Average : Total : Average price and State : : : : : : : : : per pound :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 2010 : 2011 : 2010 : 2011 : 2010 : 2011 : 2010 : 2011 : 2010 : 2011 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ----- 1,000 ----- 1,000 pounds pounds per fish 1,000 dollars ---- dollars --- : Foodsize : Alabama ..........: 73,700 62,300 137,700 119,200 1.9 1.9 106,029 132,312 0.77 1.11 Arkansas .........: 26,000 14,800 49,400 25,500 1.9 1.7 38,038 26,775 0.77 1.05 California .......: 2,110 1,360 3,100 2,850 1.5 2.1 6,603 8,379 2.13 2.94 Louisiana ........: 4,040 1,810 7,400 2,250 1.8 1.2 5,994 2,610 0.81 1.16 Mississippi ......: 143,000 107,000 257,400 173,900 1.8 1.6 198,198 193,029 0.77 1.11 North Carolina ...: 3,250 2,970 5,850 5,200 1.8 1.8 4,856 5,408 0.83 1.04 Texas ............: 10,300 10,600 16,000 17,100 1.6 1.6 12,960 19,494 0.81 1.14 : Other States 1/ ..: 1,020 1,240 2,000 2,200 2.0 1.8 2,400 2,970 1.20 1.35 : United States ....: 263,420 202,080 478,850 348,200 1.8 1.7 375,078 390,977 0.78 1.12 : : ----- 1,000 ----- 1,000 pounds pounds per 1,000 fish 1,000 dollars ---- dollars --- : Stockers : Alabama ..........: 970 (D) 630 (D) 649 (D) 1,260 (D) 2.00 (D) Arkansas .........: 16,900 (D) 2,000 (D) 118 (D) 1,960 (D) 0.98 (D) California .......: - (D) - (D) - (D) - (D) - (D) Louisiana ........: - - - - - - - - - - Mississippi ......: (D) 48,900 (D) 7,700 (D) 157 (D) 10,780 (D) 1.40 North Carolina ...: - (D) - (D) - (D) - (D) - (D) Texas ............: (D) 25 (D) 6 (D) 240 (D) 12 (D) 1.95 : Other States 1/ ..: 53,110 27,760 7,279 4,069 137 147 10,628 6,312 1.46 1.55 : United States ....: 70,980 76,685 9,909 11,775 140 154 13,848 17,104 1.40 1.45 : Fingerlings and fry : Alabama ..........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Arkansas .........: (D) 19,700 (D) 543 (D) 27.6 (D) 1,368 (D) 2.52 California .......: (D) 870 (D) 26 (D) 29.9 (D) 111 (D) 4.27 Louisiana ........: - - - - - - - - - - Mississippi ......: 233,000 216,000 7,700 8,800 33.0 40.7 10,780 11,000 1.40 1.25 North Carolina ...: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Texas ............: 400 (D) 20 (D) 50.0 (D) 33 (D) 1.63 (D) : Other States 1/ ..: 27,480 21,020 909 769 33.1 36.6 2,512 2,073 2.76 2.70 : United States ....: 260,880 257,590 8,629 10,138 33.1 39.4 13,325 14,552 1.54 1.44 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- See footnote(s) at end of table. --continued Catfish Sales by Size Category - States and United States: 2010 and 2011 (continued) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : : Live weight : Sales Size category : Number of fish :----------------------------------------------------------------------- and State : : : Total : Average : Total : Average price : : : : : : : : per pound :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 2010 : 2011 : 2010 : 2011 : 2010 : 2011 : 2010 : 2011 : 2010 : 2011 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : --- 1,000 -- 1,000 pounds pounds per fish 1,000 dollars --- dollars --- : Broodfish : Alabama ........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Arkansas .......: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) California .....: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Louisiana ......: - - - - - - - - - - Mississippi ....: (D) 50 (D) 215 (D) 4.3 (D) 325 (D) 1.51 North Carolina .: (D) - (D) - (D) - (D) - (D) - Texas ..........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) : Other States 1/ : 70 105 349 348 5.0 3.3 333 475 0.95 1.36 : United States ..: 70 155 349 563 5.0 3.6 333 800 0.95 1.42 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - Represents zero. (D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations. 1/ Other States include State estimates not shown and States suppressed due to disclosure. Catfish, Foodsize and Stockers Percent Sold by Point of First Sale - United States: 2010 and 2011 [Point of First Sale by outlet may not add to 100 percent due to rounding] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : Recreational : Live haulers : Retail : Other Size category : Processors : stocking : and brokers : outlets : outlets :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 2010 : 2011 : 2010 : 2011 : 2010 : 2011 : 2010 : 2011 : 2010 : 2011 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : percent : Foodsize : : United States ....: 94.8 95.1 0.4 0.5 1.4 1.2 1.1 1.6 2.3 1.6 :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Wholesale to : Recreational : Live haulers : Government : Other : other producers : stocking : and brokers : agencies : outlets :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 2010 : 2011 : 2010 : 2011 : 2010 : 2011 : 2010 : 2011 : 2010 : 2011 :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : percent : Stockers : : United States ....: 82.5 73.2 4.9 3.0 10.6 17.7 1.9 6.0 0.1 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Represents zero. Terms and Definitions Used for Catfish Production Estimates 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. Fingerlings: Fish weighing 2 to 60 pounds per 1,000 fish or 2 to 6 inches in length. Foodsize (large): Fish weighing over 3 pounds. Foodsize (medium): Fish weighing over one and one-half pounds to 3 pounds. Foodsize (small): Fish weighing over three-fourths of a pound to one and one- half pounds. Fry: Fish weighing less than 2 pounds per 1,000 fish or less than 2 inches in length. Stockers (large): Fish weighing over 180 pounds to 750 pounds per 1,000 fish. Stockers (small): Fish weighing over 60 pounds to 180 pounds per 1,000 fish or over 6 inches in length. Terms and Definitions Used to Describe Point of First Sale Government Agencies: Sales to Federal, State, or local government agencies for the purpose of stocking public waters. Live Hauler/Broker: Sales made to an individual or company that generally purchases live fish from a producer and transports them in an oxygenated tank truck to other outlets. Other Outlets: Sales to outlets not meeting one of the other defined outlets. Point of First Sale Outlet: The first point at which money changes hands. Processors: Sales made directly to a plant for processing. Recreational Stocking: Only includes fish sold to individuals or private entities for the sole purpose of stocking recreational waters. Retail Outlets: Fish sold directly to entities who buy fish to re-sell to consumers. Includes grocers, restaurants, and fish markets. Wholesale to Other Producers: Fish sold to other producers for the intention of growing out for further sale at a later time. Statistical Methodology Survey Procedures: Data for catfish production are collected from all known producers in the seven published states and a sample of producers from the remaining states. Individual NASS field offices maintain a list of all known catfish producers and use known sources of producers to update their lists. Operators are mailed a questionnaire as close as possible to January 1 and given adequate time to respond by mail. Those that do not respond by mail are telephoned or possibly enumerated in person during the middle of January. 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 were estimated based on similar operations or historical data. NASS field offices prepare these estimates by using a combination of survey indications and historic trends. Individual State estimates are reviewed by the Agricultural Statistics Board for 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. Reliability: In the seven published states, catfish production estimates are based on a census of all known active producers and therefore, have no sampling variability. However, since all operations in the other states category are not included in the sample, survey estimates are subject to sampling variability. Survey results are also subject to errors such as omissions, duplication, and mistakes in reporting, recording, and processing the data. While these errors cannot be measured directly, they are minimized through strict quality controls in the data collection process and a careful review of all reported data for consistency and reasonableness. Information Contacts Listed below are the commodity specialists in the Livestock Branch of the National Agricultural Statistics Service to contact for additional information. E-mail inquiries may be sent to nass@nass.usda.gov Dan Kerestes, Chief, Livestock Branch ......................................................... (202) 720-3570 Bruce Boess, Head, Poultry and Specialty Commodities Section .................................. (202) 720-4447 Cody Brokmeyer - Honey, Poultry Slaughter, Turkey Hatchery, Turkeys Raised ................. (202) 690-3237 David Colwell - Cold Storage ............................................................... (202) 720-8784 Kim Linonis - Layers, Eggs ................................................................. (202) 690-8632 Miste Salmon - Broiler Hatchery, Chicken Hatchery, Catfish Processing, Catfish Production, Trout Production, Census of Aquaculture, Egg Products, Mink .. 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