It's not permitted on every body of water and you'll find that the market won't bear wild caught prices on catfish.

Ishould move down to galveston full time and become a commercial hard head catfisherman. I get one on every cast and with no limmits!!!!!!! I would clean up!!!!!!

Left Wing catfish anglers? That is a new one.

The cost of the permits really adds up. You even have to have one for the vehicle you use to take the fish to the market. Texas isn't very fond of commercial fishing in terms of regulations or permits. In Louisiana commercial fisherman can use methods such as hoop nets.

More and more of the wholesale catfish is coming from places like Vietnam, and the Feds are loosening up regulations even further to make it even easier import foreign aquaculture. Many of the US Catfish farms closed up and never rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina. With more cheap imports coming on the market, it doesn't seem like your endeavor will be profitable.

You'd never get a commercial permit for Canyon.

I don't think Mr. King's comment is off base at all. In fact I hardly ever use this site anymore simply because of all of the hating going on.
My suggestion on commercial fishing is to move to LA if you want to try it. I also do not recommend anyone get into the fish farming business. We cannot compete with the Asian markets on raising fish. American catfish is the same price per pound now as it was when I was in the business 21 years ago. No one has to worry about the few commercial cat guys. They are mad at the fish but there are only a few left. Worry is the rediculous left wing approach to fisheries management in the gulf. I seriously don't know how it has not caused a civil war. It's nuts.
Good to hear from you Al

It's good to dig up a 4yo thread.

FYI ....Mississipi is the Capital to catfish farming in the USA .....
that state alone produces more then 50% of all channel cat farmed in the USA
at almost a billion pounds a year I kinda doubt we are getting much in the way of catfish from overseas
of course I could be wrong ....but since a close friend and his family farm catfish there
and I been there myself to see the zillions of square ponds full of them ....
I kinda doubt it

K A B O O M

I just realized this thread was that old. I certainty didn't dig it up.

At any rate, my wife's uncle is in the food distribution business and he sells that Vietnam catfish to restaurants all the time. You can get even get the stuff at Albertsons.

texas won't put up with it unfortunitly Arkansas where I live allows it no big fish to speak of the nets bring 1000s oflbs of fish wished they would outlaw it I fish Oklahoma as I live close to the border the limit is 10 catfish a day in ark nets no limit truck loads, 15 a day in Oklahoma and 25 a day in texas

The netters have ruined the fishing in the Arkansas river in our area.

http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=2096
Here's a good read. Nx time you go to Walmart take a look at the frozen fish section. Look at the prices on Swai, tilapia and basa.
We need some netters in here for a while. Then the trot line haters would have someone else to hate on!

I would do a little research before I ate Swai, tilapia and basa. I wouldn't knowingly eat any fish from Asia. I'll stick with the blues and channels from Cedar Creek. I've seen articles on raising and processing fish in Asia. Very, very filthy.