Farm-raised catfish processed during February 2013 totaled 30.0 million pounds round weight, up 11 percent from February 2012. The average price paid to producers was 82.2 cents per pound for February 2013, up 0.3 cent from last month but 40.7 cents below a year ago.
Net pounds of processed fish sold during February 2013 totaled 15.5 million pounds, up 8 percent from the comparable month in 2012. Sales of fresh fish, at 5.59 million pounds, were up 8 percent from February 2012 and represented 36 percent of total sales. Frozen fish sales, at 9.96 million pounds, were up 8 percent from a year ago and accounted for the remaining 64 percent of total fish sales. Sales of whole fish represented 20 percent of the total fish sold, fillets accounted for 60 percent, and the remaining 20 percent were mostly steaks, nuggets, and value added products.
The total end of the month inventory decreased 9 percent from last month and was down 40 percent from a year ago.
The total fresh and frozen average price for February 2013 was $2.77, down 73 cents from a year ago. The February 2013 average price received by processors for total fresh fish was $2.67 per pound, down 75 cents from last year. Prices for fresh whole fish were $1.83 per pound, down 61 cents from February 2012. Prices for fresh fillets were down $1.00 from a year ago at $3.68 per pound. Total frozen fish averaged $2.82 per pound, down 72 cents from February 2012. Prices for frozen whole dressed fish were down 21 cents at $2.73 and frozen fillets at $3.15 per pound were down $1.10 from a year ago.
Imports for consumption of Ictalurus spp., Pangasius spp., and other catfish of the order Siluriformes for January 2013 totaled 19.4 million pounds, down 24 percent from the amount imported in January 2012. Imports were from Bangladesh, Brazil, China, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Ictalurus spp. imports totaled 861 thousand pounds, which were from China and Thailand.
Fresh catfish fillet exports totaled 377 thousand pounds, with 55.8 thousand pounds going to Canada and the rest going to China, Kuwait, Mexico, the Islands of Turks and Caicos, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam.
Exports of frozen catfish fillets reported for January 2013 totaled 46.0 thousand pounds, going to Nigeria and the Islands of Turks and Caicos.