Frequently Asked Questions
As the food sacs are depleted, the tiny catfish begin to swim and are moved to special ponds where they grow into fingerlings. When the fingerlings are about 4- to 6-inches long (the size of an index finger), they are placed in man-made ponds filled with fresh water pumped from underground wells.
After 18 months to two years, or when the catfish reach about 10 pounds each, they are harvested with seines (large weighted nets) and loading baskets, then taken to processing plants in aerated tank trucks.
Once the catfish reach the plants, the entire production process takes less than 30 minutes, making top-quality, Heartland Catfish among the freshest fish available. The catfish is cleaned, processed and placed on ice or frozen to a temperature of 40 degrees below zero using an individually quick-frozen (IQF) method that preserves the taste and quality of the fish. Heartland Catfish is then sold as whole fish, steaks, fillets, strips and nuggets, as well as marinated and pre-breaded products.