One of the main differences between farm-raised and wild catfish is in their living conditions. U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish are grown in a quality-controlled environment of clay-based ponds filled with pure fresh water pumped from underground wells. The rectangular-shaped ponds, averaging 10 to 20 acres (four to eight hectares) each, are built above-ground from the rich southern soil by constructing embankments that are then filled with four to six feet (one to two metres) of water.

Another notable distinction between farm-raised and wild catfish is what — and how — they eat. U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish are fed a gourmet diet of puffed, high-protein food pellets (a mixture of soybeans, corn, wheat, vitamins and minerals) that gives this fish a mild, sweet taste. And because the food pellets float, U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish feed on the surface of the water, unlike wild catfish that feed at the bottom.

U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish rates high as a safe, healthy seafood as well, with the honour of being the first fresh fish to carry the Health Check(TM) symbol, indicating that it meets the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s criteria for a healthy food choice. It is recommended as a “best choice” by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program, and the U.S. National Audubon Society gives farm-raised catfish its “top ranking” as an environmentally sound seafood choice.

You can feel good about eating U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish.