Catfish processing labor $hortages

JACKSON, Miss. – Mississippi State University’s (MSU) Extension Service says many catfish-serving restaurants have had to pay distributors more – nine cents a pound ($1.25) - for premium sized fish to stay on menus. The extension service says pond inventories aren’t the main issue, but rather processing plant labor shortages – down 9 percent for the first five months of 2021. Labor shortages are the “big driver,” says Jimmy Avery, extension aquaculture professor at MSU’s extension center in Stoneville, although there is “some talk about tight fish supply” but the numbers don’t support it.” Tight pond inventories or processing shortages allow processors to shift product types and volume to “long-time customers with high volume and price,” he states. Aquacultural economist Ganesh Kumar says a slow recovery in the processing phase can also be attributable to factors related to COVID-19, including limits on work-shift numbers while maintaining social distancing; and finding workers willing to work for pay comparable to stimulus checks and unemployment benefits. (Source: WJTV 07/16/21) Labor shortages limit catfish supplies in Mississippi (cbs42.com)