Harvest Select Catfish publishes presentation 2010

Harvest Select Catfish was the first in the industry to receive the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification as a socially and environmentally responsible catfish farming and processing operation, reports www.megafishnet.com with reference to Harvest Select Catfish.

• BAP has developed standards for each type of facility - from hatchery, to farm, to processing plant in four primary areas: Community, Environment, Food Safety, Traceability. Harvest Select was awarded ISO 65 accreditation in 2010.

Seafood Watch defines sustainable seafood as originating from sources, fished or farmed, that can maintain or increase production in the long term without jeopardizing the structure or function of affected ecosystems.

Seafood Watch Criteria Are:

1. Inherent vulnerability to fishing pressure,

2. Status of wild stocks,

3. Nature and extent of discarded bycatch,

4. Effect of fishing practices on ecosystems,

5. Effective management in place.

Harvest Select employs approximately 360 people in 3 states; Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi. Operations based in the Southeastern United States secure worldwide distribution.

The company selects and mates catfish using quality brood stock. Fertilized eggs are raised in climate controlled hatchery tanks using fresh, clear, spring water and fed a special high protein, vitamin enriched, grain based diet. The company provides continuous monitoring of oxygen levels, feed, and temperature. • Young catfish (Fry) are transferred to grow out ponds at 4-6 inches long.

Harvest Select has made partnership with Alabama Catfish Feed Mill. The fish is fed with feed made from soybeans, corn, wheat, enhanced with vitamins and minerals.

The company owns over 4,800 acres of ponds, while catfish are harvested at about 18 months old averaging 1 to 1.5 pounds. The fish is shipped live from the farm in aerated trucks to processing plants within one hour. Besides, the company owns and operates seining crews and live haul departments.

There are two state-of the art processing facilities offer the following catfish products:

• Whole (fresh)
• Dressed (headed, eviscerated, and skinned fresh or frozen)
• Steaks (cross-section cuts from larger dressed fish fresh or frozen)
• Fillets (boned sides of the fish, cut lengthwise away from the backbone fresh or frozen)
• Regular and shank fillets (regular fillets have the belly section attached, shank fillets have the belly section removed fresh or frozen)
• Nuggets (boneless pieces cut from the belly section of the fillet fresh or frozen)
• Strips and fingers (smaller pieces of fish cut from fillets fresh or frozen)
• Breaded and Marinated

Available packed in any of the following ways:

• Ice Pack (ice and fresh catfish combined in a box)
• Dry Pack (fresh catfish packed in a polybag inside a larger poly bag with ice)
• Polybag Pack (fresh catfish packed inside a polybag and placed inside a wax-covered ice pack box)
• Tubs or pans of fresh or marinated (fresh catfish packed in plastic tubs with lids placed inside a master wax-covered box fresh or frozen)
• IQF (water-glazed and individually flash-frozen; frozen individual catfish portions are placed in polybags, sealed in wax-covered freezer containers)