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U.S. catfish farmers struggle to hold on

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By SeafoodSource staff
03 September, 2012 - The soaring price of feed for catfish and competition from imports has eroded the profitability of catfish farms, an aquaculture expert said.

Catfish feed prices hovered near USD 250 a ton for two decades before jumping to USD 600 a ton in the past two years, The New York Times reported Saturday.

“It’s impossible to make even a napkin calculation showing that this is profitable,” said Craig Tucker, a former director of the Thad Cochran National Warmwater Aquaculture Center of Mississippi State University.

A long-time trend in rising feed prices and the recent surge in prices has pushed many catfish farmers out of business during the past year — helping drive up the price for fish, a benefit for those that remain in business.

Click here to read the full story from UPI >

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