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 U.S. Catfish Aquaculture Production |
Catfish production in Mississippi, exclusive of the Delta, is concentrated in the Black Belt, mainly in Noxubee, Lowndes and Kemper counties, which are in the heart of the Black Belt. A survey of all known catfish producers in 1991 revealed a small number of catfish enterprises also in Alcorn, Clay, Monroe and Lee counties. The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) survey conducted in July 1995 identified 60 producers having nearly 2,000 acres in catfish production in or adjacent to Noxubee County. The local professional agriculturists stated that catfish total acreage exceeded 5,000 acres in 1996, based on pond construction activity. Preliminary estimates indicate that acreage reached 9,000 acres in 1999. As catfish production continues to expand in non-Delta areas of Mississippi, the need for more area-specific economic information becomes more critical. Extension and research personnel are receiving increasing requests from both farmers and financial institutions for information on investment requirements and profitability of catfish farming in these areas. Catfish enterprises in the Black Belt differ vastly from catfish farms in the Delta. First, the average size catfish operation is much smaller than in the Delta. Second, because of differences in topography, average depth of ponds is substantially more than Delta ponds, and ponds are configured differently because they often do not share common levees to the extent that Delta ponds do. Third, water supply for filling and replacing losses in Black Belt ponds is from surface run-off and/or from nearby streams, whereas Delta ponds are supplied by water from shallow wells. Fourth, catfish enterprises in east Mississippi are typically one of the enterprises on multi-enterprise, highly diversified farms which depend largely on family labor. Catfish farms in the Delta are more specialized, and in many instances are single enterprise operations. In cases where Delta catfish enterprises are on large, multi-enterprise farms that include row crops, the catfish enterprise is typically treated independently, with its own labor force, equipment, and in some cases, even management. Fifth, the Delta has a more highly developed infrastructure supporting catfish production, processing and marketing. This includes processing plants, feed mills, specialized equipment suppliers, diagnostic laboratories, and research/extension support. Publications
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