Basa (fish) explained

Basa (fish) should not be confused with Bass (fish).

Basa (Pangasius bocourti) is a species of catfish in the family Pangasiidae. Basa are native to the Mekong and Chao Phraya basins in Mainland Southeast Asia. These fish are important as a food source, and also on the international market. They are often labelled in North America and Australia as "basa fish", "swai", or "bocourti".[1] In the UK all species of Pangasius may legally be described as "river cobbler", "cobbler", "basa", "pangasius", "panga", or any of these with the addition of "catfish".[2] In the rest of Europe, these fish are commonly marketed as "pangasius" or "panga".[3] In Asian markets, names for basa include "Pacific dory"[4] and "patin".[5] Other related shark catfish may occasionally be incorrectly labeled as basa fish, including P. hypophthalmus (iridescent shark) and P. pangasius (yellowtail catfish).

Description

The body of the basa is stout and heavy. The rounded head is broader than it is long, with the blunt snout having a white band on its muzzle. This species grows to a maximum length of 120cm (50inches).

Ecology

Basa fish feed on plants. They spawn at the onset of flood season and the young are first seen in June, averaging about by mid-June.

Market

Some bogey fish are labelled as swai; they are often mislabelled as tonguefish in China.

"Catfish war" in the U.S.

In 2002, the United States accused Vietnam of dumping catfish, namely P. bocourti and P. hypophthalmus, on the American market, arguing that the Vietnamese exporters, who are subsidised by Vietnam's government, were engaged in unfair competition.[6] [7] With pressure from the U.S. catfish industry, the United States Congress passed a law in 2003 preventing the imported fish from being labelled as catfish, as well as imposing additional tariffs on the imported fish.[8] Under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ruling, only species from the family Ictaluridae can be sold as true catfish.[9] As a result, the Vietnamese exporters of this fish now label their products sold in the U.S. as basa fish, striped pangasius, swai or bocourti.[10] [11]

At the height of the "catfish war", U.S. catfish farmers and others were describing the imported catfish as an inferior product. However, Mississippi State University researchers found imported basa were preferred three-to-one to US catfish in a small (58 testers) blind taste test.[12]

United Kingdom

Basa has become common in the UK as "Vietnamese river cobbler", "river cobbler", or "basa". It is mainly sold by large supermarkets, in both fresh and frozen forms, as a cheaper alternative to popular white fish such as cod or haddock. Young's uses it in some of its frozen fish products, under the name basa.[13] The import of basa is subject to the same stringent EU regulations as other food imports, as set out in the CBI pangasius product fact sheet[14] UK Trading Standards officers said that cobbler was being fraudulently sold as cod by some fish-and-chip retailers to take advantage of the much lower price of cobbler, which was about half that of cod. This practice was highlighted by the successful prosecution of two retailers, using DNA evidence, in 2009 and 2010.[15] [16] Sometimes pangasius is described, legally, simply as "fish", as in "fish and chips".[16]

Environmental and health concerns

Several environmental organisations concerned with marine ecosystems have raised concerns about basa. OceanWise, an environmental organisation associated with the Vancouver Aquarium, has flagged farmed basa for its potential pollution of ecosystems and interference with wild species.[17] It writes, "Open cage farming in Southeast Asia is associated with disease transfer to wild basa. There are also concerns about feed quality, farm operating standards and the biological impact of using wild stock for culturing."[17] The Monterey Bay Aquarium currently lists the basa in its "red flag" or "avoid" category.[18] Both groups cite USA farmed catfish as a more sustainable alternative.

Tests by the Asda and Tesco supermarkets in the UK have found no trace of toxic contaminants.[19] Testing from AQIS found trace levels of malachite green, but no other contaminants.[20] [21] [22]

One case has been reported of a person without a general fish allergy having an anaphylactic reaction to pangasius.[23] [24]

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: CFIA Fish List . . 7 July 2010 . 30 June 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120326110154/http://active.inspection.gc.ca/scripts/fssa/fispoi/fplist/fpresults.asp?lang=e&q=Pangasius%20bocourti&cmbIn=s . 26 March 2012 .
  2. Web site: Fish Labelling (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2006. COT. 26 May 2007. 22 July 2009.
  3. Web site: Vietnam catfish farmers angered by French reports . Monsters and Critics . 19 May 2008 . 31 January 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081210041211/http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/news/article_1406190.php/Vietnam_catfish_farmers_angered_by_French_reports . 10 December 2008 .
  4. Web site: Are you getting the fish you paid for?. 2 June 2016.
  5. Web site: Patin Steak – the Seafood Market Place by Song Fish.
  6. News: Delta Farmers Want Copyright on Catfish. The New York Times. 16 January 2002. 31 January 2009 . Elizabeth . Becker. https://web.archive.org/web/20090130074000/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9804EED91338F935A25752C0A9649C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all. 30 January 2009 . live.
  7. News: Food Fight: U.S. accuses Vietnam of dumping catfish on the American market. San Francisco Chronicle. 8 February 2003. 31 January 2009 . David . Armstrong.
  8. News: Catfish by Any Other Name. . New York . 25 February 2002. 31 January 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090126044244/http://www.time.com/time/global/feb2002/articles/catfish.html . 26 January 2009 . Philadelphia, Desa . dead.
  9. Web site: Basa/Swai. SeaFood Business magazine. 31 January 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090106064933/http://www.dicarlofood.com/productmanual/basa%20swai.pdf. 6 January 2009. dead. dmy-all.
  10. Web site: Buyer's Guide: Basa Catfish . SeaFood Business magazine . November 2001 . 31 March 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070322214708/http://www.seafoodbusiness.com/buyguide/issue_basa.htm . 22 March 2007.
  11. News: A Catfish by Any Other Name . The New York Times . 9 October 2008. 31 January 2009 . Paul . Greenberg.
  12. News: Vietnam has tastier fish than US: studies . . McConnaughey, Janet . 19 July 2005 . SAPA-AP . 31 January 2009.
  13. Web site: Basa fillets . youngsseafood.co.uk . 16 July 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130423215758/http://www.youngsseafood.co.uk/web/product_info.asp?trg=ff&id=126 . 23 April 2013 .
  14. Web site: Exporting Pangasius to Europe. CBI Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 5 July 2019.
  15. News: Fish and chip shops accused of selling Vietnamese cobbler as cod . The Times . 13 July 2009 . 22 July 2009 . London . Valerie . Elliott.
  16. News: Chip shop owner admits fish fraud . BBC News . 15 April 2010 . 26 April 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120312171734/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/8622722.stm. 12 March 2012. live.
  17. Web site: CatfishBasa - Ocean Wise. oceanwise.ca. 21 February 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130122213744/http://www.oceanwise.ca/seafood/catfish/basa. 22 January 2013. dead.
  18. Web site: Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Guide. Monterey Bay Aquarium SeafoodWatch. 26 September 2021.
  19. https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/2009/04/a_fish_called_river_cobbler.html BBC Watchdog report
  20. http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/scienceandeducation/publications/surveyofchemicalresi3107.cfm Food Standards Australia
  21. Web site: Biosecurity in Australia Review of Provisions in the Australian New Z…. https://archive.today/20141030154728/http://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity/import/food/surveys/food-fsanz-report. dead. 30 October 2014. 30 October 2014. agriculture.gov.au.
  22. http://www.seafoodimporters.com.au/news.item.php?pid=62 e Positive only statements
  23. 20232779 . 20 . 1 . Monosensitivity to pangasius and tilapia caused by allergens other than parvalbumin . J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol . 84–8 . Ebo . DG . Kuehn . A . Bridts . CH . Hilger . C . Hentges . F . Stevens . WJ. 2010 .
  24. Web site: Leicester Mercury: Fish and chips nearly a deadly dish for allergy patient Luke, 24 January 2011. leicestermercury.co.uk. 15 December 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131215144657/http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/Fish-chips-nearly-deadly-dish-Luke/story-12061062-detail/story.html. 15 December 2013. dead.

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