The method of raising the catfish in the Mekong River has helped it create a following among those who like fish. Most feel the basa fish has a "cleaner" taste than most other forms of farm-raised fish, because of new water constantly flowing in to their pens. Consumers in the United States were introduced to the fish in , after the trade embargo with Vietnam was finally lifted. Though it took some time for the basa fish to gain a following in the United States, today it has become a serious concern of domestic catfish producers.
It is cheaper than domestic catfish, with no noticeable decrease in quality. This has caused some large restaurants and resorts to switch to serving the basa fish, or something that resembles the fish.
Vietnam has also introduced a standard to which all farms must operate in order to export product; however, the standard is not considered high enough to allow access to the US and EU markets. While advances in basa farming are underway, ongoing concerns around the environmental cost of basa production results in a red rating for basa overall. While AMCS maintains concerns around all basa production, the major retailers in Australia have committed to sourcing all of their basa product from certified sources, which is a step in the right direction.
Say No. Basa Latin name: Pangasius spp. Farm waste discharged into the Mekong River has minor and localised pollution impacts in comparison to the impacts of other human activities along the river.
Also read: Kerala firm accused of skirting ban to kill endangered sharks. However, the only attractive thing about the fish today is its cheap price. Local fish such as pomfret and king fish cost somewhere between Rs a kilo, but the same quantity of imported Basa is available at Rs Basa Pangasius bocourti , which is largely grown in Mekong delta, is found to be infested with unsafe drugs, many of which are carcinogenic in nature, say reports.
Basa is a particular variety of catfish that can survive extreme conditions, unlike other varieties. Because of its natural tendency of survival, and the ability to absorb nutrients even from contaminated waters, it poses a greater risk of hosting toxins in its body.
In , the Consumer Association of Canada also expressed concerns over fishes imported from Vietnam as laboratory tests showed the presence of a banned form of fungicide in the fishes. Big hotels in India have completely moved away from serving Basa, ThePrint has learnt. Stating that India already has a large variety of indigenous fish, he said the country does not need to import exotic fish. Deshmukh said the overall demand of Basa in the Indian market may not have gone down because the suppliers have reworked their strategy to market the fish.
Even though some of the big hotels have moved away from it, numerous standalone restaurants are still offering it on their menu. He added that Basa is still in demand only because of its price.
Speaking to ThePrint, chef Nikhil Vaswani, who runs the popular restaurant Meat Street in Pune, said these days there is an increased awareness among the customers. They ask about the kind of fish served to them and particularly stay away from Basa. India needs free, fair, non-hyphenated and questioning journalism even more as it faces multiple crises.
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