Channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, were processed and carcass traits such as head length, head width, body depth, girth, lipid percentage, head percentage, viscera percentage, specific gravity and body density evaluated as predictors and alternative traits for indirect selection of dressing percentage in live fish. Age, size, and sex had influence on the importance of these variables for predicting dressing percentage. Viscera percentage had the greatest phenotypic association with dressing percentage. No traits that could be measured from live fish were found that would predict viscera percentage. Body density had phenotypic correlations of -0.64 and -0.61 with dressing percentage in females and males, respectively, and was the best measurement for predicting dressing percentage in live catfish.
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Dunham et al. (1985) studied this question.