There will be fluctuations in demand on a seasonal basis, with spring and fall peaks in sales and little demand around Thanksgiving and Christmas. A number of live fish markets operate seasonally to avoid these slow periods. A certified scale should be used for weighting fish, and this should be done in front of the customer. People may want to select their own fish or they may desire particular sizes of fish. One method to cope with this situation is to post signs indicating that customers will be charged more per pound for this service.
Most people have no idea how many pounds of catfish are needed to feed a given number of people.
A bulging sack of live catfish slims down to a small stack of fillets. Customer disappointment is reduced when he or she buys enough fish to satisfy the family and friends. Catering services plan meals based on one-half pound of fillet per person. For every 10 pounds of live catfish, only about 6 to 6.5 pounds of headed and gutted fish or 3.5 to 4 pounds of fillets result. Feed sacks can be saved for use in bagging live fish for sale.