Sales of U.S.-produced catfish increased 1 percent year over year in 2025, despite the acreage used for production shrinking 8 percent.
According to the latest report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. catfish sales increased USD 4 million (EUR 3.4 million) to USD 394 million (EUR 334 million) in 2025. Almost all of those sales – 96 percent – came from four states: Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, and Texas. The average price for catfish was USD 1.11 (EUR 0.94) per pound, roughly flat from the previous year.
Mississippi remains the nation’s largest catfish producer, supplying more than half of the food-size catfish in 2025. The state produced 141 million food-size catfish in 2025 for nearly USD 214 million (EUR 182 million) in sales, up from 137 million sold for nearly USD 211 million (EUR 179 million) in 2024. The next biggest state in terms of production was Alabama, which produced 57 million catfish for USD 99 million (EUR 84 million) in sales in 2025, down slightly from 63 million fish and USD 104 million (EUR 88 million) in sales in 2024.
In total, the U.S. produced nearly 220 million food-size catfish in 2025, down nearly 1 percent from the previous year. Nearly 93 percent of food-size catfish were sold directly to processors.
