Catfish are the most commonly consumed farmed fish in the United States, produced primarily in Mississippi and Alabama. Welfare standards for catfish production are minimal, and slaughter practices require significant improvement.
US catfish production welfare represents a significant welfare gap that receives little public attention relative to the scale of production. Hundreds of millions of catfish are killed annually using methods that cause prolonged suffering - evisceration while alive or asphyxiation. The political economy of catfish welfare is particularly challenging because the industry is concentrated in economically disadvantaged rural communities where regulatory pressure faces strong resistance. The USDA's involvement in catfish inspection creates some regulatory leverage that does not exist for other farmed fish, potentially providing a pathway for welfare requirements. Consumer awareness of catfish welfare conditions is effectively zero, limiting market-driven improvement. This represents an area where targeted advocacy could achieve significant welfare impact.