“There was a window last fall when some farmers were able to book feed at $380 per ton,” said Jimmy Avery, Mississippi State University Extension aquaculture specialist and director of the Southern Regional Aquaculture Center. “Feed costs stayed around $400 per ton for the early part of the growing season but skyrocketed to almost $570 per ton in the last few weeks.
“Couple that increase with fish prices falling from $1.35 per pound to 75 cents per pound, and there is no doubt that the majority of farmers will lose money until something turns around,” he said.
Given current feed prices and the rate catfish convert feed to body weight, about 70 cents per pound of fish goes to feed costs. If fish sell for 75 cents per pound, that leaves only five cents per pound to cover all other farm expenses. That amount is only a fraction of what growers need just to break even.
Avery, who is also a researcher with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, said this blow comes on the heels of decreased demand for Mississippi farm-raised catfish.
“The short supply of catfish last summer prevented many processors from supplying long-time customers with the product they needed,” he said. “To make sure the supply to these customers would not be interrupted this year, processors loaded freezers in anticipation of spring demand. In the meantime, many of those customers had found fish substitutes, other fish or severely reduced the amount of fish on their menus.”
He said the resulting high inventory led to a dramatic price decline for the producers.
John Michael Riley, MSU Extension agricultural economist, said the number of catfish produced began dropping in 2009, which led to price increases starting in 2010. The decline in production on the farm continued through the first half of 2012. However, production has begun to level.
“For a while, higher prices helped alleviate the increases in feed costs, but the recent run up in those costs, coupled with a drop in output, could push more producers out of business,” he said.
Some think the high cost of feed is related to ethanol production, which relies heavily on corn. A federal mandate requires all gasoline for consumer vehicles to be blended with nine per cent ethanol. This demand for ethanol reduces the corn available for consumption. Consumers, politicians and even the United Nations have petitioned the United States government to lift the federal mandate to relieve pressure on the corn market for the sake of the world’s food and feed needs.
Lifting the mandate would not automatically reduce the stress on catfish growers, Mr Riley said.
“Corn accounts for roughly 20 per cent of the catfish feed, so it would have less of an impact than on cattle or poultry, but any relief would help,” he said.
To help the nation’s meat producers, the US Department of Agriculture recently announced a $170 million meat buy-up. That includes up to $10 million in catfish. While this effort may help decrease the inventory processors are holding, it is a small portion of the nation’s catfish production. The value of catfish products sold in the United States was $546.82 million over the last 12 months.
At its peak in 2001, Mississippi’s catfish industry had 113,500 acres in ponds. In 2012, only 51,200 acres of ponds are in catfish production, down 4,300 acres from 2011.
Roughly 82 per cent of these ponds are in the Delta, and 18 percent are in east Mississippi. The state produced 215 million pounds of catfish in 2011, representing 51 percent of the US total and a production value of $222 million.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On the afternoon of March 19, Vice Chairman of the Ca Mau Provincial People’s Committee, Le Van Su, chaired a meeting to address bottlenecks and propose solutions to expand the super-intensive whiteleg shrimp farming model using low water exchange and high biosecurity standards (RAS-IMTA).
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On March 10, 2026, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee issued Decision No. 1377/QD-UBND approving the Aquatic Animal Disease Prevention and Control Plan for the 2026–2030 period. The decision takes effect from the date of signing and replaces previous plans for the 2021–2030 period that had been issued prior to the administrative merger in Ba Ria – Vung Tau, Binh Duong, and Ho Chi Minh City.
(vasep.com.vn) In 2025, Chile imported more than USD 156 million worth of tuna, up 8.1% compared to the previous year and the highest level in the past five years. As the supply structure in this market is rapidly shifting, Vietnamese tuna is facing both opportunities to expand market share and increasing competitive pressure from Thailand, Colombia, and China.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vinh Long Province is stepping up efforts to develop brackish water shrimp farming in a sustainable direction, identifying it as a key sector in its agricultural structure. In 2026, the province aims to reach around 71,300 hectares of shrimp farming, with an output of over 314,000 tons.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Ha Tinh Province is strengthening control over shrimp seed quality to minimize risks for the 2026 spring–summer farming season.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In February 2026, Vietnam’s pangasius exports reached USD 119 million, down slightly 5% year-on-year. However, thanks to strong performance in January, cumulative exports in the first two months of the year still reached USD 331 million, up 28% compared to the same period in 2025. Export activity slowed somewhat in February due to seasonal factors, particularly the Lunar New Year holiday, which disrupted production and shipments at many seafood processing enterprises.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Da Nang is accelerating the development of high-tech shrimp farming toward intensive production, disease control, and improved efficiency. Many shrimp farms have invested in automated environmental monitoring systems, continuously tracking indicators such as pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and salinity, enabling farmers to promptly adjust pond conditions and reduce disease risks.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The year 2025 is considered a turning point for Vietnam’s shrimp seed industry as the sector faces the need for strong transformation in technology, production management, and gradual self-sufficiency in broodstock supply. These factors are seen as key to improving seed quality and strengthening the competitiveness of the shrimp industry amid increasingly demanding market requirements.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In February 2026, Vietnam’s shrimp exports reached nearly USD 310 million, up 17% year-on-year. Cumulatively for the first two months of the year, shrimp export value totaled USD 690 million, an increase of 20% compared with the same period last year. Compared with the 22% growth recorded in January, the pace of increase in February slowed somewhat, reflecting seasonal factors as the Lunar New Year holiday partially disrupted processing and shipment activities. Nevertheless, the nearly 20% growth in the first two months indicates that shrimp orders from Vietnam are maintaining a more positive trend than in the same period last year.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) According to the latest statistics for January 2026, Vietnam’s pangasius export value to major market blocs recorded encouraging growth compared with the same period last year, indicating that consumption demand is gradually recovering.
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