August is here and so is National Catfish Month! Around the country, catfish finds its way onto menus and dinner tables providing a very tasty meal, especially here in the South. But why is there a national commemorative month for it?
National Catfish Month started in 1984 when President Ronald Reagan announced to the nation that there would indeed be a national month dedicated just to catfish. Catfish is one of America’s largest aquaculture products, but this month is more than just scarfin’ down this tasty meal. It’s about the agricultural importance of catfish in the economy and understanding the ‘ole fish itself.
Did you know…?
- Catfish are the 5th most popular fish in America
- The largest confirmed record in the U.S. was a Mekong Giant Catfish weighing 646 pounds and measured nearly 9 feet long (That’s as big as a Grizzly Bear!)
- Catfish have over 27,000 tastebuds
- One catfish can lay up to 4,000 eggs a year, per pound of body weight
- Young catfish are called “Sac Fry” because they still live off food supplied by the yolk sacs
- When catfish reach 4 inches long they are called “Fingerlings” (The size of an index finger)
