Fishing News
Congress Grants Catfish Farmers Relief
By Jason Patterson
Delta catfish farmers have at least temporarily won the battle against what many consider deceptive Vietnamese marketing strategies.
Congress recently barred labeling Vietnamese imported basa fish as catfish. The ban was a provision inserted in the Food and Drug Administration's 2002 budget.
The ban is only temporary, however. It ends when the budget expires on Sept. 30.
The temporary ban is a relief to Mississippi catfish farmers who have watched prices drop to as low as 50 cents per pound. This price is approximately 15 cents below the cost of production and about 30 cents below prices from the previous year.
Vietnamese importers were previously allowed to market the basa fish as catfish. Many consumers who purchased fish with labels such as "Delta Fresh Catfish," thinking they were buying catfish from the Mississippi Delta, were actually purchasing an entirely different breed of fish raised in the Mekong Delta.
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