Katfish Facts

• During the 19th Century fisherman reportedly caught Catfish that weighed 125-200 pounds regularly.  Captain William Heckman described catching a 315-pound catfish just after the Civil War!
• A catfish has about 27,000 taste buds, while a human only has about 10,000.
• A small South American catfish named the Candiru, is the only vertebrate of people. It has the capability of entering the Urethras swimming people and animals.
• Female catfish can produce almost 100,000 eggs at a time
• The electric catfish can generate up to 350 volts
• Catfish are sometimes placed in home aquariums as scavengers to help keep the tank clean
• On May 1. 2005 the largest catfish ever recorded was caught in Northern Thailand. It was captured weighing 646 pounds and was almost 9 feet long!
• In the United States June 25th is National Catfish Day
• The largest species of Catfish is the Mekong Giant Catfish
• The smallest known catfish is the Candiru
• Catfish got their names because of the prominent “barbells” which give them the resemblance of that similar to a cat
• Catfish are found on every continent except for Antarctica
• Catfish do not have scales
• Louisiana’s state freshwater fish is the White Perch Catfish.
• There are over 2.000 known species of Catfish around the world
• Mekong Catfish do not posses the “whiskers” or “barbells” around their mouths.
• President Reagan declared June 25th as National Catfish Day. This was established in 1987 and has been recognized ever since.
• Catfish can range in sizes as small as a parasite all the way up to over 600 pounds.
• Some catfish have developed air breathing organs are known to walk across land.
• Catfish are found in freshwater
• U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish is a lean fish
• Catfish provide an excellent source of protein
• Fresh water catfish are known as “egg layers” which means they will watch overtheir eggs until they hatch
• Because the catfish have so many taste buds they rely heavily on their sense of taste
• Catfish are usually inactive during the day but come out at night to feed.
• Catfish are the 4th most popular fish in the U.S.
• 94% of all U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish are raised in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
• August is National Catfish Month
• In 2001, out of the 70 farms in Louisiana, the average farm was recorded having about 173 acres of farmland. The sales per farm averaged at around $327,588 and about $2,166 sales per acre.
• In 1998, Louisiana was recorded having 3.00 pounds per capita consumption of catfish.

Source: Catfish Production Report, National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, USDA, Washington, D.C., and Released February 2002.

• July 13 - 15, 2007- Louisiana Catfish Festival
• For more Info go to Louisiana Association of Fairs and Festivals Home Page
• In 2001, Louisiana, farm raised catfish contributed $39.8 million to the states economy.
• 64 million pounds of catfish were produced in Louisiana in 2001.
• The commercial production of catfish in the United States has significantly increased in the past 30 years
• The overall water surface acreage for catfish production has increased from 56,000 acres in 1980 to 198,000 acres in 2000.
• In 2000 more than 297 million pounds of processed catfish were consumed through various markets.
• Catfish is the fourth most popular seafood product in the United States
• The most traditional form of an edible catfish is one that has been deheaded, gutted, and skinned.
• Other ways catfish can be served include strip/finger filets, nuggets, steaks, breaded fillets and nuggets, marinated fillets and smoked fillets.