Basa and Tra

White roughy, Royal basa, Mekong catfish, Pangas catfish, Basa catfish, China sole, Pacific dory

N/A

Basa and Tra are only two of 28 species in the family Pangasiidae, and both are close relatives of the Channel Catfish that is farmed in the US. Commercial aquaculture production for Basa and Tra has increased rapidly in recent years. Commercial aquaculture for finfish in Viet Nam continues to use relatively low technology and many operations continue to use homemade feeds, while others incorporate housing above floating cages. River catfish have a strong potential to be a sustainable aquaculture species, but the current practice of open cage aquaculture combined with little or no management of aquaculture operations raises concerns about the future sustainability of aquaculture operations for river catfish in several Asian countries.

Aquaculture feed conversion ratios for omnivorous species like Basa and Tra are relatively high and the inclusion of “trash” fish in the feed is moderate, but the feed has a low input of wild fish. Thanks to the enforcement and increased hatchery production of fry for aquaculture feed, the amount of wild-caught fry in the marketplace is continuously declining.

The open cages that dominate river catfish aquaculture in Southeast Asia are open to the surrounding water and thus are inherently susceptible to escapement. The impact of escapes in this environment is minimal as these species are native to the region and cultured fish are still ecologically and genetically similar to wild stocks.

There is concern over a newly introduced bacteria found in Southeast Asian farmed catfish that has not been documented in wild populations. It is unknown whether this bacteria will be transmitted from farmed to wild fish but this uncertainty, along with the dominance of the open cage system warrants a ranking of farmed catfish as a moderate conservation concern.

The high occurrence of open-cages and the high stocking densities within indicate that there is a clear risk of pollution and habitat effects. This risk is tempered by the already degraded state and high water flow of the Mekong River Delta where the farms are located.

The current management regime of finfish aquaculture in Southeast Asia is weak. Most regulations come from regulations in importing countries. Due to the lack of regulation, management is ranked as ineffective.

Is this catfish farmed in the U.S. or in Asia?

Catfish farmed in the U.S are the “best choice”.

No health advisory at this time

No.