Competition Between Imported Tilapia and US Catfish in the US Market

This paper investigates the competition between domestic catfish filletsand imported tilapia fillets in the US market. The market segmentationbetween fresh and frozen fillets of both species is also considered. The substitutabilitybetween catfish and tilapia is of interest because market reports haverecently suggested that the rapid increase in tilapia imports in the last few yearsis the result of tilapia taking market share from domestically produced catfish.The competition between fresh and frozen fillets of catfish and tilapia imports inthe same market is examined using market integration and demand analysis.The results indicate that imports of fresh and frozen tilapia fillets lie in differentmarket segments, while fresh and frozen catfish fillets compete in the same market.Furthermore, fresh and frozen fillets of catfish and tilapia imports do notcompete in the same market.