Catfish

There are many different species of catfish all around the world, but those farmed in the U.S. are called channel catfish—although most of us know it as simply “catfish”. The channel catfish is indigenous to the southeastern part of the United States and has been a favorite on dinner tables in the Southeast for many years.

Prior to catfish aquaculture, you could only get wild caught catfish, but in the 1960s, catfish farming started to take off in Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, and Louisiana. This industry has grown significantly over the years and started to play a major role in the seafood industry in the early ‘90s. In fact, it has doubled from 1985 to 2005 and is now ranked 5th in the seafood popularity charts.