National Catfish Month
Go fishing for catfish, order it at a restaurant, or try your hand at cooking up your own fish using any number of tasty but simple catfish recipes.
Drive August restaurant traffic and retail seafood sales by positioning catfish as an affordable, American-farmed protein with agricultural heritage appeal.
- Farm-to-table spotlight: celebrate U.S. catfish farmers and their economic impact
- Easy catfish recipe content targeting home cooks seeking budget-friendly weeknight dinners
- Restaurant promotions: August catfish specials tied to presidential heritage and regional pride
- Sustainability angle: highlight American aquaculture as a domestic food security solution
The first mention of this holiday was in August of 1984 when President Ronald Reagan announced to the nation that there would be a national holiday dedicated to the catfish.
Since his announcement of the holiday, the Catfish Institute (TCI), The Jackson-based location of the U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish industry, works throughout the year to promote the work, the farmers it represents and the impact they have on local economy.
Catfish is one of America’s largest aquaculture products, and each year, a farmer is awarded “Catfish of the Year” as an exemplary example of what an American farmer looks like.
National Catfish Month aims to educate people about the agricultural importance of catfish in the economy.
As they have been farmed or fished for food for hundreds of years in Africa, Asia, and South America, catfish is considered a delicacy in some parts of the world as well as a tasty meal in many parts of the United States.
Catfish contains low levels of omega-3 fatty acids and a much higher proportion of omega-6 fatty acids, making it nutritious to eat. It’s a stable in many parts of the world, and in the United States, it’s considered a small part of the American tradition.