the acreage, capital cost per firm and per acre, price received, 

 profit (return to management) per acre and as a percentage of 

 initial investment, and production cost per pound of catfish or 

 fingerling. Eight pond, two fingerling, three fishout, and four 

 raceway operations are compared. A case example of poor 

 management is analysed. An appendix contains guestions for a 

 potential catfish farmer to ask in evaluating the situation. 

 Subject descriptors: 

 Catfish; revenue; costs; returns; enterprise comparison. 



064 



Russell, Jesse R. 



1972. 



Catfish processing--a rising southern industry. 



U.S. Dep. Agri., Econ. Res. Serv., Agri. Econ. Rep. 224, 33 pp. 



This report describes the catfish processing industry in nine 



southern states in 1970, and attempts to determine factors 



affecting the economic operation of the 16 plants surveyed. The 



infant industry — only 3 of the 16 processors marketed any fisn 



before 1968--is still experimenting with different methods of 



processing and marketing. Processing methods include hand lanor, 



machine use, and a combination of both. Obtaining a steady 



supply of fish — especially in slack summer months — to increase 



the utilization of capacity is the major problem facing the 



industry. In contrast to a total capacity of 21.3 million pounds 



(live weight), the plants processed only 6.4 million pounds in 



1970. This study was made in response to both the rapid growth 



of catfish farming and the importance of processing in developing 



markets for increased production. 



Subject descriptors: 



Catfish; processing; methods; problems. 



065 



Sullivan, Edward G. 



1970. 



The role of the Soil Conservation Service in the catfish industry 



in Mississippi. 



Catfish Farmer 2(3): 25-26. 



Since the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) , an agency of the U.S. 



Department of Agriculture, views catfish farming as a farm 



(agricultural) enterprise, it provides technical assistance in 



site selection, and in pond and water system lay out. It worKs 



through county offices and Soil Conservation Districts, which 



usually coincide with counties geographically. SCS made a 



special survey of catfish farming in Mississippi in spring 1969. 



Of 11,648 acres in commercial production, SCS has provided 



complete engineering design on 7,259 acres and technical advice 



and guidance on another 3,988 acres. While some large farms are 



in a position to hire their own engineers for design work, SCS 



will continue to provide soil interpretations and soil maps. 



Subject descriptors: 



Catfish; government assistance; survey data. 



29 



