US catfish processing down four percent in August

US farm-raised catfish processed during August 2009 totalled 39.5 million pounds round weight, down four percent from August 2008.

The average price paid to producers was 76.9 cents per pound for August 2009, down 0.2 cent from last month and 5.8-cents below a year ago.

Net pounds of processed fish sold during August 2009 totalled 18.5 million pounds, down 11 percent from the comparable month in 2008. The total end of the month inventory increased seven percent from last month and was up one percent from a year ago.

Sales of fresh fish, at 6.79 million pounds, were down four percent from August 2008 and represented 37 percent of total sales. Frozen fish sales, at 11.7 million pounds, were down 14 percent from a year ago and accounted for the remaining 63 percent of total fish sales.

Sales of whole fish represented 16 percent of the total fish sold, fillets accounted for 63 percent, and the remaining 21 percent were mostly steaks, nuggets and value-added products.

The August 2009 average price received by processors for total fresh fish was US$2.51 per pound, down nine cents from last year. Prices for fresh whole fish were US$1.69 per pound, down seven cents from August 2008.

Prices for fresh fillets were down 14 cents from a year ago at US$3.19 per pound. Total frozen fish averaged US$2.56 per pound, up five cents from August 2008. Prices for frozen whole dressed fish were up eight cents at US$2.23 and frozen fillets at US$2.95 per pound were down three cents from a year ago.

Freshwater imports for consumption of ictalurus spp., pangasius spp. and other catfish of the order siluriformes for July 2009 totalled 10.8 million pounds, up 24 percent from the amount imported in July 2008. Imports were from Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Spain, Thailand and Vietnam. The ictalurus spp. imports totalled 1.85 million pounds, which were from China, Mexico and Thailand.

Fresh, boneless catfish fillet exports totalled 68,600 pounds, all going to Canada. Exports of frozen, boneless catfish fillets reported for July 2009 totalled 20,500 pounds, going to Australia, Austria, Canada, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Singapore and Sweden.