U.S. farmed catfish

U.S. farmed catfish is an affordable, sustainable Southern staple—lean, healthy, and nutrient-packed, too! This seafood is part of the Super Green List—seafood that’s good for you and the planet.

What are they?

Catfish get their name from their barbels, the face-framing, whisker-like sensory organs that give them a feline facade. True omnivores, catfish eat just about anything and everything. They grow quickly and live a relatively long life near the bottom of freshwater bodies.

Delicious, nutrient-dense, and easy to prepare, catfish has a celebrated history around the world. There are over 2,000 species of catfish, found on every continent except Antarctica. Catfish is a staple in the southeastern U.S., where it’s been enjoyed for millennia, first by the Indigenous peoples and later by those of European and African descent.

Nowadays, most catfish you’ll find in supermarkets is farmed channel catfish, or, to a lesser extent, hybrid channel catfish crossed with blue catfish. Channel catfish is native to a big portion of North America, from northern Mexico and the Gulf States, up the Mississippi River watershed, and west to the Rocky Mountains. Over the past century, this freshwater fish has been introduced to most of the rest of the U.S. for fishing and to 35 different countries for aquaculture. Blue catfish is another, larger species of U.S. catfish found in the southeast.

Good for you

Catfish is a nutritious fish—we can't argue with that.

• Containing only 119 calories per serving (about 3.5 ounces), U.S. farmed catfish is a lean, nutrient-packed food, offering an optimal main-dish option for healthy weight.
• Catfish has a healthy fat profile. It’s low in saturated fat (as low as 1 gram per serving depending on variety) while providing a rich source of the omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA (up to 300 milligrams per serving). That means this seafood also helps support a healthy heart and brain function.
• With about 15 grams of high-quality protein per serving (depending on variety), catfish is a wholesome protein option to help support your body’s needs for muscle and tissue repair.
• Catfish also provides a slew of other essential nutrients, including vitamin B12 (121 percent Daily Value) for healthy blood and nerve function, selenium (26 percent Daily Value) to protect from oxidative damage, phosphorus (24 percent Daily Value) for bones and teeth formation, thiamin (15 percent Daily Value) to aid in energy metabolism, and potassium (19 percent Daily Value) for nerve and muscle action.

Good for the planet

In the U.S., channel catfish and their blue catfish hybrid counterparts are farmed in manmade, inland ponds filled with freshwater. About 75 percent are embankment or levee ponds, which are constructed by scraping out soil from the ground to create a pond surrounded by embankments and then filled with water. Watershed ponds, another popular option, are built in hilly terrain by damming valleys to form reservoirs that store rainwater.

The water from these ponds is rarely drained—usually only about once a decade. While that may sound counterintuitive, it plays a big role in U.S. farmed catfish’s green rating for environmental sustainability. Since water is discharged so infrequently, fish aren’t likely to escape into the surrounding environment or spread disease to local, wild fish populations. Chemical use, like antibiotics, is low to begin with because of good fish husbandry. But, if disease does occur where treatment might be needed, it usually happens in summer when farms aren't discharging water, so the risk of chemicals entering and harming the environment from effluent is low.

All broodstock and juvenile catfish used to stock channel catfish farms in the U.S. come from hatcheries, and feed for U.S. catfish doesn’t rely heavily—if at all—on fishmeal or fish oil, helping protect wild stocks of fish. The feed for these omnivorous fish instead is mostly made from things like cottonseed meal, soybean meal, maize, wheat, and pork animal meal. Most of the crops used in catfish feed are grown in the U.S.

We also know a lot about how catfish are farmed in the U.S. The industry has been extensively studied, and most of that data is publicly available, making it easy for scientists to see and understand exactly what impacts the industry has on the environment.

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Ready, set, cook!

• Feature fresh or frozen fillets in a classic Creole broiled catfish. Simply brush fillets with olive oil, season with a spicy Creole spice blend, and broil until golden and tender.
• Cook up a catfish curry by simmering fresh or frozen catfish pieces in a creamy curry and serving it over brown rice.
• Try a traditional Indonesian catfish dish called warung by grilling catfish and enjoying it with vegetables, spicy sambal sauce, and coconut rice.

Where to find

• Find fresh, ready-to-cook U.S. farmed catfish fillets in many supermarkets across the U.S.
• Frozen catfish fillets, as well as whole catfish and breaded catfish fillets and strips, are available in many U.S. supermarkets, offering a longer storage time.
• U.S.farmed catfish is widely available in many restaurants, particularly in southeastern U.S. states.

Top shopping tips

• Fresh U.S. farmed catfish is an easy, moderately priced seafood option. Look for fillets in the fresh seafood case. Be sure to use it within two days for maximum freshness.
• Frozen catfish fillets are often a more affordable option, sometimes costing half as much as a fresh fillet. They are just as easy to prepare and have a longer storage life. Just thaw in the refrigerator, pat dry, and cook as desired.
• If you are purchasing breaded catfish, keep an eye on sodium levels. Look for products that contain less than 20 percent Daily Value.

See our sustainable catfish & pangasius buying guide for more tips

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