By Marlee Jackson

From Black Belt ponds to meandering river channels, abundant freshwater has helped Alabama net a reputation as the heart of catfish country. 

Now, diners and fishermen alike are invited to traverse the Alabama Catfish Trail, launched this summer by the Alabama Tourism Department. 

“Alabama’s catfish culture runs deep,” said Lee Sentell, Alabama Tourism’s long-serving director who retired after announcing the trail in June. “Our new Catfish Trail invites visitors to experience our beautiful state through its waterways, recipes and cultural traditions.”

The trail includes more than 50 destinations where visitors can explore Alabama’s catfish culture. Those range from lakes, reservoirs and rivers where fishermen can cast a line for native channel catfish to restaurants renowned for knowing their way around a catfish fillet.

Many of those restaurants serve U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish pulled from ponds that dot the Black Belt. Catfish production fuels the economy in that swath of west Alabama, said Hale County farmer Townsend Kyser during the Alabama Catfish Trail kickoff in Birmingham.

More than 35% of U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish is grown in Alabama, he added.

“The catfish industry not only means a lot to my family; it provides a lot of jobs in our area with two processing plants and two feed mills, the hardware store, the restaurants and employees of those restaurants, but more importantly, the people who eat those fish,” Kyser said. “I’m proud to be a part of that.”

Fran Pearce, who raised catfish with her late husband, David, in Dallas County, credited Greensboro as the birthplace of U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish more than five decades ago.

“I watched the industry grow from its youngest days,” Pearce said. “Catfish farmers work hard, and they provide the highest quality products. When people enjoy Alabama’s farm-raised catfish, they are enjoying the results of a lot of hard work, innovation and pride.”

During the kickoff, Sentell announced 2026 is Alabama’s Year of Catfish. To continue the celebration, farmers, anglers and industry experts enjoyed a sampling of fried catfish and fixings from three iconic Alabama eateries — The Ark from Riverside, Ezell’s Fish Camp from Lavaca and Old Greenbrier from Madison.