For more than two-fifths of foodsize-fish operations (41.3 percent), price of feed is the most important reason for deciding which feed to buy. About one-fourth of operations (23.1 percent) use past performance of feed as the most important reason for choosing a feed, and 16.9 percent of operations use quality of feed as the most important reason in feed selection. Price is the most important reason in selecting a feed for a higher percentage of the largest operations (50.9 percent) compared with smaller operations.

These are the findings of the The Catfish 2010 study, the third study of the U.S. catfish industry conducted by the National Animal Health Monitoring System. Catfish 2010 takes a broad look at management, production, and health practices across the various facets of the catfish industry, including breeding, hatching, and foodsize-fish growout. The study builds upon knowledge obtained from previous studies and examines new topics important to the industry. This report focuses on the foodsize-fish production segment of the catfish industry.

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