Harrah's and MGM MIRAGE in Missiissippi to Serve Only US Farm-raised Catfish

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. November 05, 2008

LAS VEGAS, NV, November 3, 2008. Patrons of Harrah's and MGM MIRAGE casino resorts in Mississippi can now rest assured that, if they order catfish, it will be only U.S. Farm-Raised.

U.S. Congressman Bennie Thompson of Mississippi's second district, along with representatives from the U.S. catfish industry and the two casino corporations made the announcement at a press conference here on Wednesday. The change affects all Harrah's and MGM MIRAGE locations in Tunica, Miss., and Biloxi, Miss.

"We're here today to announce an agreement between the two largest gaming operations in America, which are both agreeing to purchase and serve only U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish in their Mississippi facilities," said Congressman Thompson. "It is an outright recognition of the quality of our product, and we appreciate that MGM MIRAGE and Harrah's have stepped forward to support the catfish industry that is so vital to the economy of Mississippi."

This agreement is the first of many to come, Thompson said. "This will be the beginning of other efforts to support the U.S. catfish industry," he said. "There are currently efforts to put U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish in the school lunch program. We are also working to place our catfish on the menu for our men and women in uniform."

Casinos affected by the announcement include Horseshoe Casino-Hotel Tunica; Harrah's Tunica; Sheraton Casino-Hotel Tunica; Grand Biloxi; Gold Strike Casino Resort Tunica; and Beau Rivage Resort & Casino Biloxi.

"We're extremely pleased and proud to support the U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish industry," said Valerie Morris, regional vice president of communications and community affairs for Harrah's Entertainment. "Harrah's has been serving domestic catfish for over a year now, and we are reaffirming our commitment to help support America's catfish industry."

George Corchis, president and chief operating officer for MGM MIRAGE's Mississippi operations, concurred by saying, "We are also excited we will only be purchasing and serving domestic farm-raised catfish. We serve a couple-hundred thousand pounds of catfish per year, and we are proud to serve such a high quality product to our customers. It's the highest quality agricultural product in the world."

According to one catfish processor, this agreement will have a large positive impact on an agriculture sector that has faced severe challenges amid the nation's economic downturn.

"These two companies consume three million pounds of live fish annually... which equates to one million pounds of processed fish," said Dick Stevens, chief executive of Isola, Miss., -based Consolidated Catfish Companies, LLC. "This really helps to revitalize the U.S. catfish industry and maintain the 10,000 jobs that are funded through it."

Roger Barlow, the head of the U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish industry's marketing organization, The Catfish Institute, agrees with Stevens, saying the deal will pay dividends to all parties involved - including the casino patrons.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for our industry, and wonderful news to catfish lovers who visit Harrah's and MGM MIRAGE locations in Mississippi," said Barlow, who is president of The Catfish Institute and executive vice-president of Catfish Farmers of America. "When people eat catfish in Mississippi, they expect it to be U.S. Farm-Raised. I'm pleased that these casinos are leading the way by making this commitment to their patrons. We thank Congressman Thompson for his leadership and support."

Mississippi state law requires that all restaurants in the state disclose the country of origin of the catfish they serve. For more information about House Bill 728, which was enacted in July 2008, contact Commissioner Lester Spell at the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce.

The Catfish Institute was founded in 1986 by catfish feed mills and their producer members with the goal of raising consumer awareness about the benefits of U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish.