Bill Troutt of Lake Village, Catfish Farmers of America’s 2012 Arkansas Catfish Farmer of the Year, along with award winners from Alabama and Mississippi appear in the industry’s “Made in America” campaign that features the nation’s top farm producers and favorite recipes.
Arkansas, Alabama and Mississippi are the top catfish-producing states in the country.
Troutt and the other farmers traveled to Boston earlier this year to attend that city’s seafood show, and they have been featured in a number of national publications, including the Delta Airlines magazine and Cooking with Paula Deen magazine.
“We are working to provide a sense of place in the nation’s food supply by connecting the catfish fillets people know and love back to our hundreds of family farms that dot the southern U.S.,” Roger Barlow, president of the Catfish Institute, said in a news release Monday.
Troutt manages Alice-Sidney Farms in Chicot County, a 7,000-acre operation with about 600 acres of catfish farms.
Troutt, a member of the Arkansas Catfish Promotion Board, said Monday that the industry is struggling,
“It’s not real good,” he said. “The biggest problem is with imports and … feed price is so high that we can’t sell at a profitable level.”
Growers in Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi and Texas grossed $403 million in 2010, about 8 percent above the previous year, while production acreage declined 13 per cent between 2009 and 2010, according to SeafoodSource.com.
Last year, growers in the state sold $33 million worth of catfish to processors, down down from just under $41 million the year before, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The “Moringa Noodles Salad” product by Sa Giang Import-Export Corporation was honored as one of the “Top 10 Winning Products” at the THAIFEX – Anuga taste Innovation Show 2026, held as part of THAIFEX – Anuga Asia 2026 in Bangkok.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) After a fairly strong upward trend in 2025, Vietnam’s clam exports entered 2026 with a mixed picture: strong growth at the beginning of the year, followed by a slowdown from March onward. According to Vietnam Customs data, Vietnam’s clam export turnover in the first four months of 2026 reached more than USD 38 million, up 2% compared to the same period in 2025.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s pangasius industry is facing new opportunities to expand its development space as many localities and businesses begin promoting marine farming models aimed at diversifying farming areas and adapting to climate change. However, for pangasius to truly “go offshore” and develop into a large-scale industry segment, significant challenges related to technology, broodstock, and markets still need to be addressed.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tilapia exports in April 2026 reached USD 11 million, up 92% compared to the same period in 2025. This strong growth indicates that Vietnamese tilapia products are continuing to penetrate and expand rapidly in international markets. Cumulative export turnover in the first four months of 2026 reached USD 49 million, up 151% year-on-year.
(seafood.vasep.com) At VietShrimp Asia 2026, disease management trends in shrimp farming are shifting strongly from treatment-based approaches toward proactive prevention through environmental and pond ecosystem control.
(vasep.com.vn) After a period of strong growth, with export turnover reaching USD 38 million in Q1/2026 — up 174% year-on-year — the sector’s rapid expansion clearly reflects growing market opportunities.
(vasep.com.vn) In the first quarter of 2026, Vietnam’s pangasius exports to the ASEAN bloc reached USD 44 million, up 7% compared to the same period in 2025. After falling to the lowest level of the quarter at USD 9 million in February — reflecting the seasonal slowdown in orders after the festive period — exports recovered strongly to USD 18 million in March, the highest monthly value of the quarter. This development shows that import demand for pangasius in ASEAN remains relatively stable despite short-term fluctuations.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On May 11, 2026, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced a positive comparability finding for Vietnam’s swimming crab fisheries, along with those of Indonesia and Sri Lanka, under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). With this decision, seafood and seafood products harvested from Vietnam’s swimming crab fisheries will continue to be eligible for import into the US market.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) After a slowdown in 2025, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Germany showed more positive signs in the first quarter of 2026. However, the recovery remains uncertain as consumer demand in Germany is still cautious, while market competition is increasingly driven by pricing and supply stability.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) After a sharp decline in 2025, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Israel are showing positive signs of recovery in the early months of 2026. According to Vietnam Customs data, export turnover to this market grew steadily month by month in Q1/2026, reaching nearly USD 10 million, up 33% compared to the same period in 2025. However, compared to Q1/2024, this level remains significantly lower, indicating that the recovery is still in its early stage following last year’s strong adjustment.
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