Traditionally, all seafood imports into the United States must be inspected by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), while imports of foodstuffs of all other types are handled by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
That's still how it works, with one small exception: Any catfish coming into the United States will have to be inspected by the USDA. This little wrinkle came back in 2008, slipped almost as an afterthought into the update that year to the Farm Bill, which sets these regulations.
Recently, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) declared the program a waste of money. Various fiscal conservative government watchdog groups and a growing number of senators and U.S. Representatives from both sides of the political aisle have noted that the program has spent the USD 20 million just to equip itself to do the inspections, let alone actually inspect any fish.
The vast majority want this program cut, except for domestic catfish producers and Sen. Thad Cochran (pictured), R-Miss. He's a ranking member of the Senate Agricultural Committee which, in cooperation with the House Agricultural Committee, was responsible for preparing the bill for a vote on the floor.
Cochran has declined several requests by SeafoodSource to provide a comment of any kind on the issue. His office has pointed us to statements he has made in the past on the subject, which indicate the senator trusts the USDA more than the FDA to inspect catfish coming in from other countries.
Whether there is any real health risk connected to catfish, as opposed to the rest of the seafood exported to America (more than 90 percent of total seafood consumed here, by the way), is not clear, but anyone who thinks this is the senator's only motivation must consider some other facts.
Most importantly, the rule sets up a lot more red tape for countries such as Vietnam who want to export pangasius, a type of catfish, to the United States, whether the USDA ever gets around to inspecting it or not. That spells very good news for the USD 1 billion domestic catfish industry, which is a strong constituency in Sen. Cochran's home state.
Clearly, the Mississippi catfish industry is driving the bus on this one. Apparently, said industry cares little about foreign catfish exporters. It also doesn't seem to care about the American companies that import and distribute Vietnamese catfish, and the impact this trade barrier — for what else can we call it — has on their future.
This is pork-barrel politics at its worst, and if you're a part of the seafood industry — whether you're based in Mississippi or not — and you haven't told the senator how ridiculous you think this program is, now is the time. This catfish program has survived the ax twice, and if it really does have nine lives, we could be stuck with this waste for quite a while.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The year 2025 marked a pivotal milestone for Vietnam’s seafood industry in its restructuring process toward sustainability, transparency, and higher value creation, amid continued uncertainties in the global economic and trade environment. Prolonged inflation in major economies, the rising trend of trade protectionism, and increasingly stringent requirements related to environmental standards, traceability, and social responsibility have posed significant challenges to seafood production and exports. Nevertheless, overcoming these pressures, Vietnam’s seafood sector has gradually demonstrated its adaptability, maintained growth momentum, and laid an important foundation for the next stage of development.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Amid the increasingly evident impacts of drought and saltwater intrusion, the shrimp-rice production model in Ca Mau province continues to prove itself as a viable direction, contributing to higher farmer incomes, improved soil conditions and the promotion of ecological and sustainable agricultural development.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The management of fishing vessels, monitoring of fishing activities, and handling of violations in the fisheries sector in Lam Dong province have continued to be implemented in a synchronized and stringent manner, contributing to raising awareness of legal compliance among fishermen and aiming to end illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Can Tho’s fishery industry sustained steady growth in 2025 with total aquatic and marine output reaching nearly 783,000 tons, fulfilling 100% of the annual target. Aquaculture, capture fisheries and fishing fleet management were further strengthened, aiming for sustainable development in the coming years.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In 2025, Vietnam’s pangasius export turnover reached nearly USD 2.2 billion, up 8% year-on-year. This result indicates that pangasius exports maintained their growth momentum despite significant volatility in the global market environment. In December 2025, pangasius export value reached USD 200 million, up 10% compared to December 2024. This solid performance in the final month of the year reflects increased import demand for consumption and inventory replenishment in key markets.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In 2025, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Spain experienced significant fluctuations. According to Vietnam Customs, during the first 11 months of 2025, export turnover for the first 11 months of the year edged up by 0.3% year-on-year, reaching nearly $15 million.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son has signed Decision No. 16/QD-TTg, dated January 5, 2026, approving the implementation plan for the Vietnam-Israel Free Trade Agreement (VIFTA). Under the plan, in the coming period, ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-affiliated entities and People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities must institutionalize and execute tasks focused on the dissemination of information regarding VIFTA and the Israeli market; legislative and institutional development, as well as enhancing competitiveness and human resource growth...
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Beyond achieving double-digit growth, Vietnam’s fish cake and surimi exports are showing a notable year-end "inflection point": the EU his accelerating with nearly twofold growth, China & Hong Kong are rising sharply, while the largest market, South Korea, signaled a slowdown in November. According to Vietnam Customs data, export turnover of fish cake and surimi reached $327 million in the first 11 months of 2025, up 22% year-on-year; November 2025 alone accounted for $35 million, marking a 5% increase. This serves as a critical foundation for exporters to reassess market structures and competitive intensity while finalizing order strategies for 2026.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Ca Mau, widely regarded as the nation’s “shrimp capital”, continued its strong performance in 2025 as shrimp output reached nearly 600,000 tons, maintaining its position as Vietnam’s leading shrimp-producing locality.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On December 29, 2025, at the 2025 Pangasius Industry Review Conference held in Can Tho City, the Vietnam Pangasius Association announced that fingerling prices have surged to record levels due to acute supply shortages.
VASEP - HIỆP HỘI CHẾ BIẾN VÀ XUẤT KHẨU THỦY SẢN VIỆT NAM
Chịu trách nhiệm: Ông Nguyễn Hoài Nam - Phó Tổng thư ký Hiệp hội
Đơn vị vận hành trang tin điện tử: Trung tâm VASEP.PRO
Trưởng Ban Biên tập: Bà Phùng Thị Kim Thu
Giấy phép hoạt động Trang thông tin điện tử tổng hợp số 138/GP-TTĐT, ngày 01/10/2013 của Bộ Thông tin và Truyền thông
Tel: (+84 24) 3.7715055 – (ext.203); email: kimthu@vasep.com.vn
Trụ sở: Số 7 đường Nguyễn Quý Cảnh, Phường An Phú, Quận 2, Tp.Hồ Chí Minh
Tel: (+84) 28.628.10430 - Fax: (+84) 28.628.10437 - Email: vasephcm@vasep.com.vn
VPĐD: số 10, Nguyễn Công Hoan, Ngọc Khánh, Ba Đình, Hà Nội
Tel: (+84 24) 3.7715055 - Fax: (+84 24) 37715084 - Email: vasephn@vasep.com.vn