USDA Opens Purchase Request For Catfish Products

This week the USDA released an open purchase request bid invitation for catfish products.

According to the document, the USDA is seeking a total of 342,000 lbs of catfish fillets that are raw and unbreaded. They are also seeking 462,000 lbs of catfish strips that are breaded and oven ready.

Just last month the USDA released an open purchase request for 5,700,000 lbs of raw, unbreaded catfish fillets. A number of companies had their bids accepted, including Americas Catch, which was awarded a quantity of 2,850,000 lbs not to exceed the award value...

Cassidy, Wicker, Colleagues Introduce Resolution to Designate August as National Catfish Month

U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Ted Cruz (R-TX), John Kennedy (R-LA), Katie Britt (R-AL), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Mike Braun (R-IN), John Boozman (R-AR), and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), introduced a Senate resolution to designate August 2023 as National Catfish Month.

The resolution recognizes the importance of U.S. catfish to our economy and praises catfish farmers and workers for their contributions to the industry...

USDA Looking to Purchase 470,000 Pounds of Catfish Products

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said it was looking to buy 470,000 pounds of catfish products for use in domestic food distribution programs. Bids to sell catfish products are due by May 15.

Acceptances will be announced by 5 p.m. CT on May 22 and deliveries will be made between July 1 and December 30, 2023.

The solicitation was a 100% Small Business Set Aside for both unbreaded raw catfish fillets and breaded oven ready catfish strips...

ANALYSIS: Catfish, Pangasius, and Tilapia Markets Soften into Summer 

Imported aquaculture species including catfish and tilapia from China, as well as pangasius/swai from Vietnam have experienced some price softening due to an overabundance of supply relative to current demand trends. While catfish and pangasius markets have seen a gradual retreat over the past few weeks across all sizes, tilapia remained mostly steady until recently where smaller sized fillets were the first to report discounts...

USDA Shares Purchase Awards for Pollock, Catfish Products

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced purchase awards for catfish products and pollock products.

From the pollock side, the USDA bought just over $1.6 million of frozen Alaska pollock products. In total, 543,200 pounds of pollock was purchased.

Channel Fish Processing landed $817,191.43 from the USDA for frozen pollock sticks. Meanwhile, Trident Seafoods received $785,268 for frozen pollock in 49.5 lb. bulk containers.

Find the pollock purchase award description from the USDA here...