U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., has introduced a resolution to designate August 2024 as “National Catfish Month.”
The resolution from the Republican senator comes as the Magnolia State leads the nation in catfish production. According to the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce, in 2022, Mississippi farmers raised more than 65 percent of the nation’s farm-raised catfish with most of that number coming from within a 65-mile radius of Belzoni, commonly referred to as “The Catfish Capital of the World.”
MDAC’s report noted that Mississippi has 205 catfish operations covering up to 34,100 water acres. The production value of catfish from the state was $258 million in 2022.
“Mississippi’s catfish farms put a safe and quality product on America’s dinner tables. This effort is a small way we can recognize their local and national economic impact,” Wicker said.
Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., and 10 other senators from states that also produce catfish joined in introducing the resolution.
