Dive Brief:
- By April, new sanctions could remove the fish, coming here primarily via Vietnam, from U.S. food service markets, restaurants, and dinner tables. The reason behind the tightening of the rules is divided into two camps: one side says it is due to safety concerns, the other says it is an attempt by catfish farmers to increase their declining market share. The push for tighter standards originated with catfish farmers in the southern states, primarily Mississippi.
- Currently control over catfish and pangasius is handled by the Food and Drug Administration. The USDA is expected to take on the job starting this spring. The FDA will continue to monitor all other seafood.
- Seafood companies are preparing for a supply disruption as Vietnam has to meet the new requirements.
Dive Insight:
U.S. catfish is measured by the weight of the whole fish, unlike the pangasius which is measured by the weight of frozen fillets. So, drawing conclusions between the two is somewhat difficult. However, U.S. farm-raised catfish production declined from 630 million pounds to 340 million pounds between 2004 and 2012.
The catfish fight “is not about food safety and never has been,” said Lisa Weddig, of the National Fisheries Institute, seafood industry trade group. "For years, there has been an ongoing attempt to block imports and thus stifle competition. The food-safety part of the equation is a charade."
Concern centers around pangasius being labled catfish and how that reflects on real catfish. "There’s a lack of safety controls outside the U.S.," said Dickie Stevens, chief executive of Consolidated Catfish Producers, a Mississippi-based company selling fish under the Delta Pride and Country Select brands. "The domestic catfish industry has been tarred with the same brush."