Thursday, August 27, 2009

The Cat's Whiskers

August may be National Catfish Month, but in Acadiana, that label could apply year-round.
Fried catfish or catfish courtbouillon can be found on many plate lunch menus around the area, especially on Friday.
It can also be found on the menus of fine dining restaurants grilled and swimming in a creamy sauce or covered with crawfish etouffée.
Catfish is a southern favorite, but in some areas, it has the reputation of being a "trash fish."
Roger Barlow, president of the Catfish Institute and executive vice president of the Catfish Farmers of America, explains.
"I think there's been a misperception about catfish that are farm-raised and catfish caught in the wild," Barlow said from his office in Jackson, Miss.
Farm-raised catfish live in earthen ponds and are fed grain pellets, Barlow said. The pellets are made with soybeans, rice, corn or wheat.
"It gives them a slightly sweet flavor," he said.
Farm-raised catfish are trained to rise to the surface during feeding time, unlike their counterparts in the wild, which feed on the bottom of the lake, Barlow said.
Farm catfish grow to 1- to 2 1/2 pounds before they are harvested.
Ninety-five percent of U.S. catfish are raised in Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas.
Barlow encourages diners in restaurants and shoppers to make sure the catfish they plan to consume came from a U.S. farm and is not imported fish.
Grilled Citrus Rosemary Catfish
For the catfish:
4 catfish filets
1„2 fresh lemon per fillet
Citrus Sauce:
Zest of one lime

Zest of one lemon

Zest of one orange

Juice of one lime
6 ounces pineapple juice
1„2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1„4 teaspoon salt
Preheat grill. To make the sauce, combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer 5 minutes.
Place catfish in a shallow dish and squeeze 1„2 fresh lemon over each. Sprinkle with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Let sit for 5 minutes.
(2 of 2)
Place catfish filets on grill, skin side up for 3 to 4 minutes. Turn and grill 2 to 3 more minutes. Transfer catfish to serving plate and spoon over 1 ounce warmed citrus sauce per fillet


Yield: 4 servings
- Source: The Catfish Institute
Baked Catfish Provençal1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1„2 sweet onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 catfish filets
1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1„4 cup chopped Italian parsley
Preheat oven to 400 F. Place olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and garlic; sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.
Add fresh tomatoes and crushed tomato; cook 3 more minutes until heated through.
While vegetables are cooking, add butter and olive oil to an ovenproof skillet over medium high heat. Season both sides of the catfish filets with Italian herbs, salt and pepper. Carefully place the catfish in the skillet; another 2 minutes.
Slowly spoon the vegetable mixture onto each of the catfish filets in the skillet. Place in the oven and cook
for 5 minutes. Remove from oven; sprinkle with Italian parsley. Serve with the pasta of your choice.
Yield: 2 servings
- Source: The Catfish Institute
Baked Cinnamon Chipotle Catfish with Sweet Pepper Slaw4 catfish filets
3 tablespoons olive oil
Cinnamon Chipotle Rub:
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1„2 teaspoon garlic powder
1„2 teaspoon chipotle powder
1„2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Sweet Pepper Slaw:
1 pound of shredded slaw mix
1 large seedless cucumber, peeled, seeded, diced
1„2 cup red bell pepper cut into thin strips
1„4 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Creole mustard
1 tablespoon sugar
Salt and pepper to tastePreheat oven to 425 F. To make the slaw, combine all items. Toss well; cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
To make the rub, combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.
Lightly brush catfish filets with olive oil; sprinkle with the rub and set aside.
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat; add remaining olive oil. Add filets and cook 1 minute on each side. Place filets into an oiled baking dish. Bake 7 to 9 minutes until fish flakes easily. Remove from oven and let rest 4 minutes.
Place the sweet pepper slaw on a serving platter. Top with baked catfish fillets.
Yield: 4 servings— Source: The Catfish Institute
Place catfish filets on grill, skin side up for 3 to 4 minutes. Turn and grill 2 to 3 more minutes. Transfer catfish to serving plate and spoon over 1 ounce warmed citrus sauce per fillet


Yield: 4 servings

- Source: The Catfish Institute

Baked Catfish Provençal
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1„2 sweet onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 catfish filets
1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1„4 cup chopped Italian parsley
Preheat oven to 400 F. Place olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and garlic; sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.
Add fresh tomatoes and crushed tomato; cook 3 more minutes until heated through.
While vegetables are cooking, add butter and olive oil to an ovenproof skillet over medium high heat. Season both sides of the catfish filets with Italian herbs, salt and pepper. Carefully place the catfish in the skillet; another 2 minutes.
Slowly spoon the vegetable mixture onto each of the catfish filets in the skillet. Place in the oven and cook
for 5 minutes. Remove from oven; sprinkle with Italian parsley. Serve with the pasta of your choice.
Yield: 2 servings

- Source: The Catfish Institute

Baked Cinnamon Chipotle Catfish with Sweet Pepper Slaw
4 catfish filets
3 tablespoons olive oil
Cinnamon Chipotle Rub:
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1„2 teaspoon garlic powder
1„2 teaspoon chipotle powder
1„2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Sweet Pepper Slaw:
1 pound of shredded slaw mix
1 large seedless cucumber, peeled, seeded, diced
1„2 cup red bell pepper cut into thin strips
1„4 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Creole mustard
1 tablespoon sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 425 F. To make the slaw, combine all items. Toss well; cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
To make the rub, combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.
Lightly brush catfish filets with olive oil; sprinkle with the rub and set aside.
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat; add remaining olive oil. Add filets and cook 1 minute on each side. Place filets into an oiled baking dish. Bake 7 to 9 minutes until fish flakes easily. Remove from oven and let rest 4 minutes.
Place the sweet pepper slaw on a serving platter. Top with baked catfish fillets.
Yield: 4 servings
— Source: The Catfish Institute

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Catfish Feeding Frenzy

Catfish feeding frenzy
Our intrepid taster roves far and wide to find the tastiest spots for catfish — and sides — in three counties, and shares his catches
By GORDON DICKSON

Texans don’t need much of an excuse to chomp down on catfish.
Residents of the Lone Star State eat more of the whiskered bottom-feeders than anyone else, according to the Catfish Institute. The group was founded by farmers in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi — the states where catfish is most commonly grown to satiate the appetites of people in Texas and across the South.
"It’s just a regional taste. I don’t know if I’d call it a delicacy, but people grew up with it and really enjoy it," said Larry Richardson, co-owner of the Flying Fish, a casual eatery with locations in west Fort Worth, Dallas, Little Rock, Ark. and other cities.
August is National Catfish Month, according to the institute, which touts the health and economic benefits of catfish farming. So as far as I’m concerned, now is a great time to search the western side of the Metroplex for the best examples of catfish cuisine.
Like many restaurateurs who offer catfish on the menu, the people at the Flying Fish don’t take themselves too seriously. They have a standing offer of a free three-fillet catfish basket to customers who donate a singing fish to the eatery’s official Billy Bass Adoption Center.
I didn’t have a Billy Bass to contribute to the wall, so instead I plunked down what I thought was a reasonable $7 to scarf down a small helping of the flaky white fish, dipped in cornmeal and deep-fried.
During the past several weeks, I went on a catfish feeding frenzy, sampling the fare at numerous restaurants.
My 14-year-old daughter came along for some of the tastings, even though she normally doesn’t eat fish or anything else that swims. She has an aversion to seafood because of an emotionally scarring experience during her elementary school years, when she tried unsuccessfully to raise betta fish as pets. It turned out that keeping bettas alive for more than two weeks at a time required more expertise than our family could offer, and the aquarium has since been retired to the attic.
(Note to other parents: If your young daughter shows an interest in pet fish, do yourself a favor and get her a puppy!)
Anyway, with my wife, daughter and 7-year-old son in tow, I hit a handful of the very best catfish places in Tarrant, Johnson and Wise counties — places with catchy names such as Catfish O’harlie’s, Tucker’s Catfish Haven and even Babe’s Chicken Dinner House.
But our first stop was the most memorable. It was at a legendary place in Arlington called Catfish Sam’s. There, my daughter reluctantly agreed to eat a half-order of catfish, and she was surprised by the clean taste.
"It was crunchy, and it didn’t smell like fish. It’s fresh," she admitted, before turning her attention to the home-style fries. My son agreed, saying he’d like to be locked in the restaurant overnight so he could make room in his stomach to eat everything.
Our experience was an example of the universal appeal of catfish, the experts say. The flavor is so mild and slightly sweet that in most cases the diner detects only a hint of pungency from the pond water in which the creature was raised. Officially certified U.S. farm-raised catfish are fed nothing but nutrient-rich grain pellets for 18-24 months until they’re big enough to harvest, creating a consistently pleasing taste that can be found at discerning restaurants across the U.S.
Eating foreign-grown or wild catfish can be a real hit-or-miss experience, despite what you may hear from Southerners who claim to have caught and eaten perfectly good catfish from the neighborhood canal all their lives. A word of warning to the less adventurous among us: If you’re fishing from a creek with an old bicycle lodged in its muddy bottom, well, it’s safe to assume your bounty won’t taste the same as the stuff from a certified freshwater farm.
And when paying good money for your food, if a restaurant host or manager can’t tell you where the catfish was raised, walk out the door before ordering.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Entergy at odds with consumers, again

Delta Residents Express Frustration With Entergy’s Repair Policies
Pat Maglothlin said that one Entergy outage cost him $100,000.By Sheila Prescott
"Forty years ago we put a man on the moon, and if we can put a man on the moon we ought to be able to figure out why Parkdale and Wilmot keeps losing power every time it thunders," Senator Jimmy Jeffress told representatives of Entergy and interested citizens during a meeting in Parkdale last week.
"These people pay the same rates as they pay every where else in the state of Arkansas and they ought to be able to depend on their power. If Entergy can't figure out what the problem is then I think they ought to say so and we'll see if we can't find somebody else who could," the state senator said.
The purpose of the meeting, held in the conference room at Bayou Grain in Parkdale, was to voice concerns about two recent storm outages and other issues, including the time that repairs required. Entergy customers and concerned citizens discussed outages that affected Wilmot and Parkdale on June 30, July 1 and July 16 and other issues to Entergy representatives on Tuesday, Aug. 4. In addition to the storm outages, those present complained about Entergy's automated outage reporting system, blinking lights and policies.
"Our number one priority for our employees; as well as our customers and the environment is safety," Diane Tatum, Regional Customer Service Manager with Entergy, said to a standing room only crowd. "We will not compromise that, and we do not take shortcuts."
Tatum explained Entergy's procedure during an outage and summarized the two recent storms. The first storm, she said was on June 30 with outages continuing in to July 1. Those outages, she said, were widespread and affected Wilmot, Parkdale, Lake Village, Dermott, McGehee and Dumas. Crews were called in from Crossett, El Dorado and Warren to assist in restoration, said Tatum, who added that travel time and obtaining equipment from other areas further delayed restoration time. Tatum said electricity was fully restored 15 hours and 45 minutes following the first outage report. The second storm, Tatum said occurred on July 16 and resulted in a power failure lasting several hours.
Although Tatum stated that Entergy reflected 491 customers without power during one of the storms, Ron Moore, General Manager of Ashley-Chicot Electric Cooperative, said one of the outages was a breaker that provides electricity to 400 Ashley-Chicot Electric customers. "You didn't have 491, you had 891," said Moore.
Diane Tatum, Entergy Regional Customer Service Manager for South Arkansas, comments to customers and concerned citizens during a public meeting held at Bayou Grain in Parkdale on Tuesday, Aug. 4.
Entergy has policies in place to restore power after a storm, according to Tatum. The first step, she said, is to send out scouts to assess damage to equipment and facilities to determine corrective actions. Large transmission lines are restored followed by substations that transport power to local areas. The next step, she said is to restore electricity to emergency services, life support facilities and communications networks and then to feeder lines that serve large numbers of customers and neighborhoods. The final restoration is individual service.
"This is one of the rules we operate in with respect to maintenance and responding to outage, ‘The customer experiencing a service outage that does not result in an emergency, the electric utility should make every reasonable effort to restore service not later than 24 hours after the outage is reported'," she said.
In regards to first outage, County Judge Emory Austin stated that he called and spoke to a "Jeremy" with Entergy and was told that downed power lines and poles had created the outages in the two cities. However, Austin said he was in the Delta when he placed the call after he failed to see an obvious cause. "Where were the poles broke and where was the downed wire?" asked Austin. "They weren't."
John Montgomery, Entergy Area Line Supervisor for Lake Village-McGehee, said that there were wire and poles down in the Dermott area. The person Austin spoke with, he said, may not have been aware of the distance between the two areas and repeated the last information he was given.
Montgomery further explained that before power could be restored, someone had to ride out the line and find the cause of the outage. In addition, he said, power failed in Dermott and Lake Village before it went out in Wilmot and Parkdale. "The point is the crews were already out working," he said.
John Montgomery, Entergy Area Line Supervisor for Lake Village/McGehee, shown right, explains the procedure of power restoration to Wilmot Mayor Archie Walker, shown left. Shown center is Audie Foret, Entergy Regional Operations Manager for South Arkansas.
Ron Miller with Bayou Grain stated those affected by the storm were misinformed as to when power would be restored. Miller said a number of businesses decided not to open based on Entergy's two day predicted outage time.
"We had already figured out that the only thing wrong in Parkdale, Ark., a tree or something was down and that was the only thing wrong in the whole world. We were sitting here making decisions," he said. "It is a communication problem and you need to evaluate how you are handling the structure of your people."
Montgomery said the estimated time was the predicted time it would take to restore power to the entire system. Damage to Dermott was substantial, he added.
"It was estimated that it would take two days to get Dermott back on, but they actually got them back on in one day, thank God, but that is where the estimate came from," said Montgomery.
In the district which begins at Grady and extends to the Louisiana line, Montgomery said there are five service men and 17,000 customers.
Doris Hammond noted that there are a lot of elderly in the Wilmot and Parkdale area and that it is difficult to report an outage through Entergy's system when electricity fails in the middle of the night.
"When we call it at night, this has always been a pet peeve of mine. I have a flashlight and I have learned to keep my account number there. Otherwise, I don't get to talk to anyone," said Hammond. "It helps a person when you're sitting up there sweating at 3 o'clock in the morning to hear a voice say, ‘I am so sorry,' and I worked with call centers so I know what I am talking about, but it so much more helpful instead of that repetitive thing, ‘Please, give your account number'."
Jackson Currie said he hates calling the Entergy 800 number and said he would prefer to speak to someone who knows the area and the cause of the outage instead of someone who is unfamiliar with the area.
"I know I should expect power to go out in some storms. It's not a problem for me that it takes time to fix, and certainly I would never want anyone to be harmed. Here's my problem, it goes out every storm. Here's why I don't think it's right because my friends from Little Rock tell me, ‘It never goes out up here'," said Currie, adding that maybe it is an exaggeration, but, "Meanwhile it goes out down here every time we have a storm and sometimes when we don't have a storm."
In response to Currie's comment Wayne Branton, a fish farmer in Wilmot, said, "I think Entergy would be well served if it would look at Ashley-Chicot [Electric Cooperative]'s system. We have a catfish farm, and I can guarantee you if at 3 o'clock in the morning if we called, we have the service men's cell phone numbers, and within two hours they are going to be on our farm," said Branton. "If it's an Entergy problem, we've got a big problem, but they can fix their problem. So you might be well served in looking at Ashley-Chicot. Look at their system, their emergency system and see how they can assist. They're a lot smaller than you all are, and we can pick up the phone and call the people and not 800 numbers, and that's one of the problems. I take my hat off to Ashley-Chicot, and maybe you ought to look at their system and their policies to see how they do it cause they do a heck of a good job."
Montgomery stated that Entergy has top notch equipment to provide service to its customers and does not know why Ashley-Chicot Electric Cooperative does not have similar issues. "I just don't know, Jerry [Moore, Ashley Chicot’s Operations Superintendent] and they may have a magic wand over there on Ashley-Chicot. I think they've just been 'explicit' lucky," he added.
In other service related issues, Miller said once after Montgomery finished a job at Bayou Grain and left, a transformer blew. Miller said he called Montgomery and was told to call the service center. However, he said, before he could hang up the phone reporting the problem, a construction driver passing by and watching someone load corn hit and snapped an electric pole. The line, he said posed a risk of landing on a metal building. When the service man arrived to change the transformer, Miller said he refused to repair or secure the downed power line stating that it was against Entergy's policy.
"Sometimes your system is skewed against safety because of the way you're trying to be more efficient," said Miller.
Montgomery stated that a service man has a bucket truck and cannot change a pole without proper equipment, "and so what happened when the service man got here and saw a broke pole all he could do...,"
However, before Montgomery completed his statement, Miller interrupted saying, "I disagree that he could have done nothing. One line down with the electricity useless, he could have pulled the other fuses or went back to the highway and pulled the fuses. It was an unsafe situation to have a broken pole over a bunch of metal bins. You should have killed me totally out at the highway and I think it's not him [the service man]. If you think I am fussing at him you're wrong. I think it's your system, not the [service] man," said Miller.
Audie Foret, Regional Operations Manager for South Arkansas, agreed with Miller stating that Entergy provides storm and restoration training to its employees based on the concept to isolate, protect and govern public safety and health as its top priority.
"It's a culture change; folks are used to us rewarding them and patting them on the back for getting it done. The guy who used to break the rules and bend the rules was rewarded, he was promoted, and now we're sending that same man home because we're telling him we don't want him to get hurt," Foret said. "The situation that you're referring to should not have occurred. I'm not going to say that's definitely attributed to a culture change with the individual but I can tell you as management with Entergy it's not the system we have constructed."
Foret said he will follow up on that situation with the individual involved in the incident at Bayou Grain and Chemical.
"We are going to have to get more information on that as far as with that individual and find out where the gaps are, but I will agree with you he should have isolated that and made sure your facility was safe for your fellows to be here. He shouldn't have left that with two phases hot," said Foret.
Pat Maglothin, an Entergy customer in Boydell, said one outage cost him $100,000 in catfish, and that according to Entergy's records, his ponds have been out 19 times in the past two years. During the $100,000 loss outage, he said, one of Entergy's scouts drove by a thrown switch three times but did not stop to reset it.
"I finally went down and found your service personnel. He told me he could not reset that switch because he had a call that there was more people out in Lake Village," said Maglothin, adding that each of his wells cost $2,000 a month in electricity. "You all are serving 100 percent government entities," he added.
Maglothin also complained about the difficulty he has had in obtaining information during an outage and making payments since the company closed the Lake Village facility. Entergy now utilizes the space as a warehouse. In response to Maglothin's complaint, Montgomery said, "Our intent is not to just serve warm bodies, we do have stipulations to get the lights, wells, irrigation accounts and all accounts are high priority. They don't come before hospitals, they don't come before police departments, fire departments, but do come before warm bodies. We know there is an investment by that customer, and we try or at least I try diligently if I know there is an irrigation account or a fish farm out. We give them high priority."
Office of Emergency Management Officer Jim Skender stated that communication is crucial and suggested working with Entergy to implement changes in their communication system. Skender said he works closely with emergency agencies throughout the county and has contact information for Ashley-Chicot Electric Cooperative and offered his assistance to Entergy representatives. Skender also suggested that instead of customers providing their account numbers to report outages that Entergy consider adjusting its systems to allow customers to give their physical address instead. Skender said Friday that he met with Judge Austin Wednesday to further discuss possible solutions.
As the meeting drew to a close, Foret stated that while not all suggestions were feasible that he planned to implement change to better serve customers in Wilmot and Parkdale and asked to return in six months to discuss those accomplishments.
Jeffress agreed that holding a second meeting to review those changes was a good idea. The senator asked Judge Austin to mark his calendar for Feb. 4, 2010 as the date for the second meeting with Entergy representatives.
A representative of the Arkansas Public Service Commission present at the meeting said he will be following progress and any corrective measures taken by Entergy

Let's cook!



U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish Showcased on Regional TV News
JACKSON, Miss.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Two culinary artists recently used their talents to offer recipe ideas and cooking demonstrations featuring U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish on regional television stations across much of the South.
Dolores Fratesi, a culinary instructor and catfish farmer from Leland, Miss., and Lee Richardson, executive chef at Ashley’s restaurant in Little Rock, Ark., conducted the on-air demonstrations and interviews, which reached viewers in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee. Their efforts sought to draw attention to National Catfish Month – celebrated throughout the month of August – and honor American catfish farmers while showcasing the tasteful versatility of the popular fish.
“Dolores and her family are Mississippi catfish farmers and understand as well as anyone the importance of U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish, and Lee, as a professional chef, is dedicated to sustainable cooking and often showcases U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish on his menu. I’m very pleased to have these talented people speaking on behalf of our industry,” said Roger Barlow, president of The Catfish Institute.
Ms. Fratesi appeared on WLBT in Jackson, Miss., WABG in Greenville, Miss., WCBI in Columbus, Miss., and WREG in Memphis, Tenn. Chef Richardson appeared on KARK in Little Rock, Ark.
Both Richardson and Fratesi agree that U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish is a great fit for most recipes. “We try to create updated dishes, modified from old recipes, using ingredients that are more colorful, flavorful and sustainable,” Fratesi said.
To view a sample of the recipes prepared by Fratesi and Richardson, including Catfish Po’boys with Pesto and Red peppers, Catfish Lafitte, and Fried Catfish, visit http://www.UScatfish.com.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Catfish Inspection

Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009
Time to finish the details of the Catfish Inspection Program

The 2008 Farm Bill set out a number of broad issues — priorities if you will. However, those priorities are often put to the side when it comes to the government agencies charged with writing the rules and regulations. Or the issue can be starved to death for lack of funding.
Such could be the case with the Catfish Inspection Program. The United States Department of Agriculture is writing the rules to start such an inspection program and it will also need funding for the program to be fully implemented. There are two very important elected officials who will have a direct hand in providing that funding: Sen. Saxby Chambliss, the ranking Republican on the Senate Agriculture Committee, and Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Savannah, who serves on the House Agriculture Appropriations Sub-Committee.
There is pressure on some members of Congress to scuttle the inspection program because it would require foreign producers of catfish — China and Vietnam — to adhere to the same regulations U.S. producers have to follow, and that has created some push back. Vietnam has threatened a trade war and informed lawmakers from beef producing states that export to Vietnam that it is concerned about what form the catfish regulations might take.
Here is the simple answer lawmakers should give to any who question the prime directive to keep the American food supply chain safe: Back off. With the reputation foreign producers have in the world they should be thankful to see a USDA stamp on their exports. But no, they are far from happy because the manner in which they raise their fish does not, many times, meet U.S. standards. The Consumer Federation of America reported that the FDA had “rejected catfish products imported from China, Thailand and Vietnam, a total of 31 times” since June 2008. “In the majority of the cases, (these fish contained) unsafe animal drug residues ... and five of the imports from Vietnam were also prohibited from entering the U.S. because they were filthy, putrid, or because they tested positive for salmonella.”
The Chinese and Vietnamese have known these inspections would eventually come; still, they haven’t cleaned up their act or their fish. That will continue if regulations are stalled or underfunded. With the number of fish imported from suspect countries, Congress and the FDA have a duty to make those imports as safe as domestically produced fish. To do otherwise is fiscally and morally wrong.
— Charles E. Richardson,

Catfish Journal Correction



CORRECTING and REPLACING Urner Berry Calls for USDA Inspection of Catfish
CORRECTION...by Catfish Farmers of America
JACKSON, Miss.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Please replace the release with the following corrected version due to multiple revisions.
The corrected release reads:
URNER BERRY CALLS FOR USDA INSPECTION OF CATFISH
Urner Berry, the nation’s oldest commodity market news reporting service, offered validation for the U.S. catfish industry’s call for USDA inspections by way of an article published today in the Urner Barry’s FTD Trade Alert e-newsletter.
In the commentary, author Richard E. Gutting Jr. underscored concerns over the safety of imported seafood and states that increased inspections will help, and not hinder, U.S. seafood importers.
“Like eggs, salmonella is a persistent hazard for farmed seafood, and so is the illegal use of veterinary drugs,” Gutting stated. “Unlike eggs, most seafood is imported, so regulating American farmers alone won’t fix the problem.”
Gutting said the FDA’s current strategy of issuing Import Alerts to control contaminated seafood “is unfair – and it isn’t working. Import refusals of seafood persist, and the number of Import Alerts and shippers subject to mandatory testing is growing. Few importers can control farming operations thousands of miles away, and as the experts point out – you can’t test your way out of food-safety problems.”
Rather, Gutting supports a more direct approach to work with the exporting countries to help them improve the safety of their products.
“You can, however, improve safety through government-to-government equivalency agreements, backed up by audits of foreign regulators and by government inspections,” Gutting said. “This is the strategy pursued by other countries for seafood and by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for meat and poultry – and it’s the strategy that will go into effect this December for catfish.”
Under the proposed new USDA regulations, said Gutting, U.S. catfish farmers, consumers and seafood importers alike all stand to benefit from increased food safety inspections.
“The government-to-government system works because it places responsibility where it needs to be – on foreign regulators and producers – rather than on importers,” Gutting said.
The information obtained from the “Urner Barry’s FTD Trade Alert” e-newsletter is comprised of the opinions of Richard E. Gutting Jr., and not necessarily those of Urner Berry.
Contacts

Alabama labeling

State legislation friendly to agriculture
Aug 19, 2009 9:26 AM, By Paul L. Hollis, Farm Press Editorial Staff
"In recent years, imported catfish from Vietnam and China has flooded the U.S. market despite repeatedly testing positive for chemicals and antibiotics banned in this country."
Farm group leaders in the lower Southeast are claiming victories during state legislative sessions this year despite the constraints placed on lawmakers by budget shortfalls in every state.
In Alabama, a catfish labeling bill — HB 473 — passed easily and has been signed into law by Gov. Bob Riley. In recent years, imported catfish from Vietnam and China has flooded the U.S. market despite repeatedly testing positive for chemicals and antibiotics banned in this country.
The passage of the bill is being hailed as a victory for Alabama catfish farmers by Alabama Farmers Federation Catfish Division Director Mitt Walker.
The new labeling requirements take effect in August. The Alabama Department of Public Health, which is charged with enforcing the labeling standards, will develop rules related to the new law and will likely request comments from the public. To make compliance easier and less costly, Alabama Catfish Producers has agreed to provide free signs, menu stickers and table tents to restaurants serving U.S. farm-raised catfish. Alabama is the nation’s second-largest producer of farm-raised catfish.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

National Catfish Month

Pine Bluff - As the U.S. commemorates August as National Catfish Month, producers in Arkansas and across the country are grappling with high feed costs and a drop in sales, experts say.“The last two years have been especially difficult for the U.S. catfish industry, probably the most difficult years in its half a century history, and several farmers have been forced out of the business,” said Steeve Pomerleau, an Extension aquaculture specialist at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

Work on off flavor

Taste-testing keeps state's catfish flavorful
By Rebekah RayDelta Research and Extension Center
STONEVILLE — Consumers expect nothing less than the best from Mississippi’s pond-raised catfish industry, and this keeps researchers at Mississippi State University’s Delta Research and Extension Center conducting taste tests on the popular fish.

Mississippi State University researcher Craig Tucker collects catfish from ponds, immediately fillets and microwaves them and then tastes the product for any off-flavors. (Photo by MSU Delta Research and Extension Center/Rebekah Ray)
“Pond-raised catfish should have a very mild flavor,” said Craig Tucker, director of the Thad Cochran National Warmwater Aquaculture Center in Stoneville. “Off-flavored catfish creates a severe economic hardship for catfish farmers because the fish are not marketable. Off-flavor prevents the timely harvest of fish, raises production costs, interrupts cash flow and disrupts the transfer of fish to processors.”
MSU researchers have developed a chart describing the many individual flavors detected in pond-raised catfish. Acceptable or positive flavors include chickeny, buttery, nutty and sweet corn. Negative flavors include fishy, stale, metallic, woody, earthy, musty and moldy.
In checking for flavor, researchers collect catfish from a pond and immediately fillet them. In the lab, the samples are washed in clean water, and the unseasoned fillets are briefly microwaved. Trained taste-testers then assess the aroma and flavor of the unseasoned samples, which are then ranked on a numerical scale.
“If the sample is off-flavor, harvesting in that pond is delayed until the problem can be corrected and the flavor improved,” Tucker said.
For the past 18 years, research associate Margaret Dennis has helped set up taste tests at the aquaculture center. She said becoming a taste-tester requires time and training.
“When I began, I could not tell much difference in the subtle flavors of catfish, but after going through the training process, I learned how to do it,” Dennis said.
Off-flavor problems can originate from several sources, including diet, pollution and the environment. While catfish off-flavors from diet are possible, it is rare in pond-raised fish, which are usually fed high-protein commercial feed of soybeans, corn, wheat, vitamins and minerals. During the winter months, however, farmers may not routinely feed their fish, and fish forage on natural foods and develop undesirable flavors.
“Sometimes even in the controlled environment of catfish ponds, we find off-flavors that result from fish eating foods such as detritus and other organic materials located on the bottom of ponds,” Tucker said.
Most flavor problems are caused by odorous compounds produced by microorganisms naturally occurring in the water. Algae or bacteria are released into water and absorbed through fish gills or skin, or into the intestinal tract. The compounds are deposited in fatty tissues and produce undesirable off-flavors. Although these compounds are harmless, they have an intense odor.
“The most common off-flavors have been described as earthy, muddy, moldy or musty, and these result from blue-green algae. The only way to know what algae are present in a pond is to examine the pond water under a microscope,” Tucker said.
Musty or muddy off-flavors develop rapidly and disappear more slowly. Once the flavor develops, the key is to eliminate the algae causing the problem and let the fish naturally purge the chemical.
“After treating the pond with an algaecide, fish should be sampled daily for flavor quality because the musty or muddy off-flavors usually disappear from fish within a few days in warm water,” Tucker said.
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Released: Aug. 13, 2009Contact: Dr. Craig Tucker (662) 686-3286

Friday, August 14, 2009

Arkansas Catfish Farmer of the Year, Dennington Moss, featured in a new national advertising campaign

Each year, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi – the four states that produce the majority of the nation’s catfish – recognize one of their most respected and successful farmers per state as “Catfish Farmer of the Year.” The Catfish Institute (TCI), the marketing arm of the U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish industry, is once again featuring these four farmers in a new national advertising campaign. The print ads debut during National Catfish Month in publications including Cooking With Paula Deen and Saveur, among others.

The 2009 Catfish Farmers of the Year include: Townsend Kyser of Greensboro, Ala.; Dennington Moss of Lake Village, Ark.; Brandon Haring of Wisner, La., and Joe Ogelsby of Indianola, Miss.

“These leading producers are very deserving of national recognition due to their contributions to our industry,” said TCI president Roger Barlow. “They have worked hard to create a healthy, home-grown product – U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish – and we are proud to feature these outstanding American farmers in our new marketing campaign.”

In addition to the Farmers of the Year, TCI’s new campaign features recipe photography and draws attention to the fish’s versatility, as well as healthful and earth-friendly attributes.

Friday, August 7, 2009

Aquaculture Expert Supports USDA Inspections for Catfish

August 07, 2009 09:36 PM Eastern Daylight Time

JACKSON, Miss.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Carol Engle, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB), recently offered a scientific foundation for her support of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspections for catfish sold in the United States.

Dr. Engle, a respected agricultural economist and leading aquaculture researcher, has spent years studying global aquaculture practices and makes her remarks following two recent trips to review the Vietnamese aquaculture industry.

In Dr. Engle’s statement, she acknowledges that consumers in the U.S. are concerned with food safety, especially that of imported seafood products, which account for the majority of U.S. seafood consumption. As America imports more and more of its seafood, she notes it is imperative that regulations on seafood are adequate to ensure the safety of the nation’s consumers.

Excerpts from Dr. Engle’s commentary:

“The USDA is the agency that has worked with agriculture and with farmers and has been charged with regulating agriculture in many ways. This is the agency that really deserves quite a bit of the credit for the safety of our food supply because they understand the entire farming system – what it takes from the beginning to the end of the product.

“When you look at a product like catfish, catfish is part of agriculture. It’s treated as agriculture in many respects in terms of other regulatory issues. It is a type of farming. The difference is that catfish are farmed in water rather than in crop fields. But it is a form of agriculture. So, on one hand it simply makes sense for catfish regulations and inspections to be treated as any other form of agriculture.

“On the other hand, there’s another important reason why USDA inspections may be better suited for catfish. This is because USDA operates under a principal of equivalency. What this means is that one standard… one set of guidelines… is set. So regardless of where the product is coming from, the same standards apply. The standards are set to ensure the safety of the product regardless of where it comes from.”

Dr. Engle describes one of the major differences between U.S. and Vietnamese aquaculture:

“The major difference in all of this is the source of the water. Fish obviously live in the water, but they also take up whatever is in the water itself. In the United States, on catfish farms, the source of water is primarily from wells – ground water that has been filtered down through the layers of rock and soil.

“In Vietnam, the majority of fish being raised are raised in the Mekong delta region of Vietnam. Because there’s so little land, daily life really occurs on the water. What this means is that discharges of any kind of waste whatsoever are discharged directly into these waters. This includes discharges from factories, farms and run-off from different locations. It also includes human sewage and human waste, because Vietnam simply does not have the type of sewer systems that we have in the U.S. What is going on would not be allowed in the U.S.”

For more information about the U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish industry and its support of USDA inspections for catfish, or to view a full video of Dr. Engle’s commentary, visit www.UScatfish.com.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6025731&lang=en

August marks National Catfish Month, continuing economic challenges for producers


PINE BLUFF, Ark. - As the U.S. commemorates National Catfish Month, producers in Arkansas and across the country are grappling with high feed costs and a drop in sales.

"The last two years have been especially difficult for the U.S. catfish industry, probably the most difficult years in its half a century history, and several farmers have been forced out of the business," said Steeve Pomerleau, an Extension aquaculture specialist at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

High catfish feed prices, driven by higher soybean and corn costs, is one of the biggest challenges facing catfish producers. Average catfish pond bank prices have remained at about 77 cents per pound since 2007. While this price is above the long-run average of 70 cents per pound, production costs have risen faster than prices have increased. Meanwhile, imports have increased to capture 20 percent of the U.S. catfish market. While catfish imports from China have dropped 44 percent since 2008, tra and basa fish from Vietnam remain among the top imports.

"Many farmers are forced out of business by this perfect storm of high feed prices, low pond bank fish prices, increased competition from cheaper imported fish from Asia, and diminishing demand due to the slower economy," Pomerleau said.

However, many catfish farmers in Arkansas have been able to remain in business by scaling back their operation, he said.

"Some farmers dropped their water acreage significantly and also stocked less fish per water acre in an attempt to minimize their operating expenses to a sustainable level," Pomerleau said.

To try to keep catfish feed prices down, feed mills have developed new feed formulations. Because the performance of the formulations on catfish growth and feed conversion ratios were basically unknown, the UAPB Aquaculture/Fisheries Center has been studying them over the last two years.

"We've partnered with the industry to scientifically test the performance of some of those new feed formulations in tanks and ponds and to provide the industry with reliable data from which to make decisions," Pomerleau said.

The UAPB Aquaculture/Fisheries Center has also conducted workshops to assist catfish farmers with financial management issues during difficult times.

Thanks to economic stimulus legislation which called for $50 million in assistance, U.S. fish farmers are getting some help at the federal level. Arkansas received $7.8 million of those funds, said Ted McNulty, aquaculture director for the Arkansas Agriculture Department.

"On July 20, the Aquaculture division dispersed $7,131,909.36 in checks to 122 farmers," he said. "The farmers received the difference between the previous five-year average cost for feed and their average 2008 cost of feed times the tons of feed purchased in 2008 -- up to $100,000. The Arkansas Agriculture Department-Aquaculture Division received the funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Sen. Blanche Lincoln was responsible for getting the funds included in the Act."

McNulty said the previous five-year average cost of feed was $235 per ton and most farmers paid between $375 and $425 a ton in 2008.

Despite the challenges that the industry faces, catfish farming continues to play an important role in the state's economy. Producers are striving to make the production process as efficient as possible and are studying new marketing strategies and products to increase their market share and improve the price they obtain for their fish.

"The catfish industry contributes about 3,500 jobs to the Arkansas economy and about $500,000 in total economic impact," said UAPB Aquaculture/Fisheries Center Director, Dr. Carole Engle, adding that catfish boasts many benefits.

"It's a safe product that is raised in well water, fed grains, subjected to numerous regulations and inspections by state and federal agencies, and self-imposed by the industry to ensure that it meets high quality standards," she said.

It's also a sustainable product that is very versatile.

"Catfish is locally grown and is one of the most environmentally sustainable types of seafood available," Engle said. "It is a great-tasting, healthy, high-protein, low-fat product that is excellent for frying, grilling, baking and stir frying."

She urged that consumers ask to ensure that what they are buying is U.S. farm-raised catfish.

Congress designated August as National Catfish Month the late 1980s to highlight the contributions that the U.S. catfish industry makes to the nation's economy, while providing consumers with a healthy, safe and great-tasting food.

For a variety of catfish recipes including southwestern pan-fried catfish, cheesy catfish, catfish gumbo and creole catfish cakes, visit www.uscatfish.com.

By: Bobbie Crockett
Extension Specialist - Communications
School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Mr. Food® Celebrates National Catfish Month

August 04, 2009 05:39 PM Eastern Daylight Time

JACKSON, Miss.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nationally syndicated television chef Mr. Food® celebrated National Catfish Month today in a segment that featured a new Greek recipe for U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish.

“In honor of August being National Catfish Month, we’re celebrating this truly all-American fish,” said Mr. Food®. “And since catfish is farm-raised right here in the states in eco-friendly ponds, you know we’ve got goodness in every bite. And talk about reasonable; we can make a fancy dish like this, for the whole family, for less than it would cost for one person to go out.”

“We’re so happy to have Mr. Food bringing our product to a national television audience,” said Roger Barlow, president of The Catfish Institute. “Today, more than five million households saw the versatility and healthful benefits of U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish.”

To view the recipe and to watch a video of how to prepare Mr. Food’s Greek Style Catfish recipe, please visit the link below:
http://www.mrfood.com/recipe_detail.aspx?item_guid=28a72bc4-2ab4-4706-88f0-bcf23593db00.

This message brought to you by The Catfish Institute. For more information, visit http://www.UScatfish.com.