August is National Catfish Month. Catfish are found the world over in fresh lakes and ponds. Once called the poor man’s fish, they have been consumed by man for many years, especially in the south and southwest. Native Americans were the first to include catfish in their diets. Angling for this fish is still a sport but when it comes to the consumers, the Channel Catfish Agriculture Industry has made this seafood readily available throughout the world in both fresh and frozen forms. Even catfish paté has become a popular appetizer.

Farming catfish is truly a U.S. seafood industry success story. What began in Arkansas in the 1960s today is considered to be the leading aquaculture industry in the United States, according to Mississippi State University Extension’s Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Just a few years ago many restaurants would not have dared to list catfish on their menus. But no longer the poor man’s fish, it has swum in to the culinary world to be one of the most ...