Aquaculture for all

Catfish Processing Up Eight Per Cent

Economics +1 more

US - Farm-raised catfish processed during September 2010 totaled 39.5 million pounds round weight, up eight per cent from September 2009.

The average price paid to producers was 81.6 cents per pound for September 2010, up 2.6 cents from last month and 4.4 cents above a year ago.

Net pounds of processed fish sold during September 2010 totaled 20.3 million pounds, up 7 per cent from the comparable month in 2009. Sales of fresh fish, at 6.62 million pounds, were up three per cent from September 2009 and represented 33 per cent of total sales. Frozen fish sales, at 13.7 million pounds, were up nine per cent from a year ago and accounted for the remaining 67 per cent of total fish sales. Sales of whole fish represented 16 per cent of the total fish sold, fillets accounted for 59 per cent, and the remaining 25 per cent were mostly steaks, nuggets, and value added products. The total end of the month inventory decreased 12 per cent from last month and was down 19 per cent from a year ago.

The total fresh and frozen average price for September 2010 was $2.50, down 2 cents from a year ago. The average price received by processors for total fresh fish was $2.48 per pound, down 1 cent from last year. Prices for fresh whole fish were $1.63 per pound, down 3 cents from September 2009. Prices for fresh fillets were up 4 cents from a year ago at $3.24 per pound. Total frozen fish averaged $2.52 per pound, down 1 cent from September 2009. Prices for frozen whole dressed fish were up 4 cents at $2.25 and frozen fillets at $2.97 per pound were up 5 cents from a year ago.

Freshwater imports for consumption of Ictalurus spp., Pangasius spp., and other catfish of the order Siluriformes for August 2010 totaled 9.96 million pounds, down 15 per cent from the amount imported in August 2009. Imports were from Canada, China, Mexico, Singapore, Spain, Thailand and Vietnam. The Ictalurus spp. imports totaled 70 thousand pounds, which were from Canada, China, Mexico and Spain.

Fresh, boneless catfish fillet exports totaled 45.4 thousand pounds, with 40.0 thousand pounds going to Canada and the rest going to Nigeria and the United Kingdom. Exports of frozen, boneless catfish fillets reported for August 2010 totaled 3.3 thousand pounds, going to Aruba, China-Taipei and South Korea.

Import and export data are compiled by the US Census Bureau.



Further Reading

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