July 27, 2010
US catfish inventory numbers down 13% in July
Catfish operations in the three major producing states-Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi-had 212 million foodsize fish on hand on July 1, down 13% from July 1, 2009 according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).
On July 1 this year, the statistics showed that there were total of 243 million foodsize fish. The breakouts of foodsize fish inventory numbers on July 1, 2010, with their respective percent change from the previous year were: large foodsize, 6.40 million fish, down 3%; medium foodsize, 61.3 million fish, down 6%; and small foodsize, 144 million fish, down 16%.
The three major states also had 466 thousand broodfish on hand on July 1, 2010, down 12% from last year's 530 thousand broodfish. While the number of large stockers on hand on July 1, 2010, totalled 166 million fish, down 28% from the 231 million fish on hand a year ago.
There were 169 million small stockers, down 22% from last year. Producers had 805 million fingerlings and fry on hand on July 1, 2010.
Meanwhile, the water surface area to be used for catfish production during July 1 through December 31, 2010, totalled 95 thousand acres, down 15% from a year ago.
Acres used for foodsize fish totalled 79.2 thousand acres, down 15% from the same time period in 2009; while acres for broodfish decreased 16% to 1.85 thousand acres; and acres used for fingerling production decreased 15% to 12.5 thousand acres.
Acres taken out of production during January 1 through June 30 period totalled 6.58 thousand acres, while 1.55 thousand acres of the total in production were scheduled to be renovated from July 1 to December 31.
The number of operations on July 1 in the three major states totalled 459, down 25% from last year's total of 613 operations.
