Programs lend hand to catfish producers
STARKVILLE, Miss. (PRESS RELEASE) – According to an MSU press release, Mississippi raises more than half of U.S. catfish, but overseas competition, rising input costs and bird depredation are among operational and financial challenges producers face just to stay in business.
Two federal assistance programs approved in July aim to extend some relief. Two weeks before the U.S. Department of Agriculture officially set aside $20 million to buy U.S. farm-raised catfish under its Section 32 program on July 23, it updated its Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program. Known as ELAP, this program will pay $600 per acre per year to eligible farm-raised catfish producers who suffered inventory loss due to bird depredation.
The USDA Section 32 program is a federal purchase appropriation allowing the agency to buy surplus American-grown produce, meat, poultry and fish when growers have excess supply. The food is generally distributed through school meal programs, food banks, and other nutrition assistance programs.
The ELAP payment rate is based on the costs associated with the deterrence of birds that eat fish, the value of lost fish and revenue from bird depredation, and costs associated with disease loss from bird depredation. A producer must be able to provide evidence to be eligible for this payment.
Jimmy Avery, catfish specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said the purchases will enhance supply chain mobility by reducing surplus inventory and supporting struggling producers who are warehousing fish in their ponds to wait for better prices.
“Roughly 94% of catfish are sold to processors, so farmers in all states have to work closely with their processors to get their fish in the plant,” Avery said. “If processors can’t sell their products due to cheaper foreign imports or other marketing constraints, products accumulate in freezers, delaying the need for more fish to be processed.
“Farmers then have to hold live fish in ponds where they are subject to being eaten by birds or exposed to disease,” he said.
Ganesh Kumar, aquaculture economist with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, said high input costs and delays in harvesting are having a negative impact on catfish farms. The domino effect of high fuel costs affects other production costs such as aeration, scaring depredating birds and fish transportation. Feed prices are over $400 per ton, further inflating production costs.
“Marketing challenges or excess inventory mean fewer fish are needed at the processing plant, and hence market-ready fish have to remain longer in ponds,” Kumar said. “Farmers consider getting out of business when production costs remain higher than the fish prices for more than two or three years.
“Since 2023, cost of production on many farms has been higher than fish price,” he said.
Many catfish farmers, Avery said, are reducing acreage as can be seen in reported acreage trends. Mississippi catfish farmers reported 28,500 acres used for catfish production in 2026. This is down 5% or 1,400 acres from 2026.
Despite the decrease, Mississippi is still the largest catfish producer, with 55% of U.S. acreage. Mississippi also has the highest reported acreage in fingerling production, with 4,500 acres.
“Those farmers who stay in production are intensifying current acreage with higher aeration rates, use of hybrid catfish and purchasing vaccinated fingerlings,” Avery said.
Producers are encouraged to visit the local office of the USDA Farm Services Agency to register acreage and apply for these assistance programs.
