When Southern Pride Catfish was founded in 1986 our goal was to produce the best tasting U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish on the market. Today, that goal still motivates our company. In 2002 Southern Pride was acquired by one of the largest global at-sea processors of groundfish, American Seafoods Group. This relationship has strengthened our company and has made us one of the leading U.S. processors of Farm-Raised Catfish.

Southern Pride offers a wide variety of catfish products including fresh and frozen items. Specialty lines include breaded and marinated products, retail tray packs, 2 lb. retail frozen bags sold in a 30 lb. master case and the "cash and carry" 5 pound box of catfish sold in our 20 lb. master case.

Farm Raised Quality
Our commitment to providing the highest quality catfish begins early - right on the farm. Starting at the hatchery, eggs hatch into tiny fry and are raised to maturity before being transferred to grow-out, or food-fish ponds located on the farm.

The average catfish pond is 4-6 feet deep, farms range from 10 to 25 acres and can hold 5,000-10,000 fingerlings per acre. These catfish are then raised in a quality-controlled environment of clay-based ponds using a specially formulated grain-based feed.

Southern Pride catfish are fed a "gourmet diet" of puffed, high-protein, floating food pellets made of soybeans, corn, wheat, vitamins and minerals. And because the food pellets float, farm-raised catfish feed on top of the water, unlike wild catfish that feed off the river bottom.

Processing
Southern Pride's high standard of quality control continues with harvesting. Sample fish are removed from individual ponds and taken to the plant for testing.

The fish must be given the Southern Pride stamp of approval before harvesting takes place. At harvest, mature catfish (weighing 1-4 pounds), are loaded by baskets into water-filled, oxygenated tank trucks and rushed to our processing plant, most being processed within 1 hour of harvesting.

With processing locations in Greensboro and Demopolis, Alabama, Southern Pride is one of the country's largest catfish processing plants, and operates the largest in-house harvest and live-haul departments in the nation.

Catfish are transferred from live-haul trucks to a conveyor belts where they are kept fresh until processing begins. As the fish move through the plant, they are directed to their appropriate stations for a variety of cuts, trims and sizing for numerous applications.

During processing, the meat is carefully inspected and at numerous stations throughout the plant to ensure the finest quality product. Fish are then packaged and ready to be delivered.

Fresh to You
Our fresh fish is ice-packed and delivered immediately to the customer. Frozen products are delivered within 1-2 weeks of processing. This guarantees that our wholesalers, distributors and retailers recieve the freshest catfish products available on the market.

We operate our own transportation department, Southern Pride Catfish Trucking Incorporated. Southern Pride's fleet of modern, refrigerated trucks branch out across the country to deliver the finest catfish products available throughout North America.

Catfish Life Cycle

The Pride Ride Catfish Car