Fish, catfish, channel, farmed, cooked, dry heat
NDB No:     15235

Catfish is the major fish farmed in the United States, primarily in Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and Alabama. Most catfish sold commercially are now farmed. Typically ponds used for raising catfish are constructed in relatively clean environments. The process involves digging a pit and using the top soil to create surrounding levees. Generally ponds are three to six feet deep and range in size from 10 to 20 acres. In the Mississippi Delta, the ponds are usually filled with pesticide-free groundwater. Outside the Delta, rainfall may be used as the water source to fill the ponds.

Catfish diets are mainly or entirely grain, which minimizes toxic contamination. In a recent study of farmed fish, about 45 percent of catfish samples had undetectable pesticide and PCBs contamination. When fish did contain pesticide residues, most were well below the level considered harmful to health. Apparently the toxic contamination in farmed catfish is usually much less than that found in wild catfish. To better ensure consumer safety, however, Santerre and co-workers suggested that the aquaculture industry should routinely test for pesticide residues in their products.

Average mercury level was under 0.01 ppm, which is low compared to the amount found in most fish and lower than the average for wild catfish. Barium, cadmium, silver, lead, and arsenic were detected only in a small percentage of catfish; and, when present, their levels were relatively low and deemed not to be a health hazard.

Nutrient Units 1.00 X 3 oz
85g
Proximates
Water
g
60.84
Energy
kcal
129
Energy
kj
541
Protein
g
15.91
Total lipid (fat)
g
6.82
Ash
g
0.99
Carbohydrate, by difference
g
0.00
Fiber, total dietary
g
0.0
Minerals
Calcium, Ca
mg
8
Iron, Fe
mg
0.70
Magnesium, Mg
mg
22
Phosphorus, P
mg
208
Potassium, K
mg
273
Sodium, Na
mg
68
Zinc, Zn
mg
0.89
Copper, Cu
mg
0.104
Manganese, Mn
mg
0.017
Selenium, Se
mcg
12.3
Vitamins
Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid
mg
0.7
Thiamin
mg
0.357
Riboflavin
mg
0.062
Niacin
mg
2.136
Pantothenic acid
mg
0.524
Vitamin B-6
mg
0.139
Folate, total
mcg
6
Folic acid
mcg
0
Folate, food
mcg
6
Folate, DFE
mcg_DFE
6
Vitamin B-12
mcg
2.38
Vitamin A, IU
IU
42
Vitamin A, RAE
mcg_RAE
13
Retinol
mcg
13
Lipids
Fatty acids, total saturated
g
1.521
14:0
g
0.095
16:0
g
1.113
18:0
g
0.271
Fatty acids, total monounsaturated
g
3.532
16:1 undifferentiated
g
0.248
18:1 undifferentiated
g
3.177
20:1
g
0.090
Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated
g
1.183
18:2 undifferentiated
g
0.875
18:3 undifferentiated
g
0.070
18:4
g
0.014
20:4 undifferentiated
g
0.035
20:5 n-3
g
0.042
22:6 n-3
g
0.109
Cholesterol
mg
54
Amino acids
Tryptophan
g
0.178
Threonine
g
0.698
Isoleucine
g
0.733
Leucine
g
1.293
Lysine
g
1.461
Methionine
g
0.471
Cystine
g
0.171
Phenylalanine
g
0.621
Tyrosine
g
0.537
Valine
g
0.819
Arginine
g
0.952
Histidine
g
0.468
Alanine
g
0.962
Aspartic acid
g
1.629
Glutamic acid
g
2.375
Glycine
g
0.763
Proline
g
0.563
Serine
g
0.649

USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 16-1 (2004)