The new rule has sparked significant controversy, with the catfish industry claiming that old Food and Drug Administration regulations of imported catfish were too lax and were putting American consumers at risk, while opponents claim the new law is nothing but a trade barrier disguised as a food safety measure that invites trade retaliation.
Even though the new regulation -- which makes catfish the first seafood to be put under the US Department of Agriculture, which is generally more stringent -- has passed and is slated to go into effect in March, there are still several ways the program can be repealed according to Gavin Gibbons of the NFI, and there are ongoing efforts to do so.
"This is not a dead end, it's not over...all of the things we have been fighting against still exist, as does the opposition on Capitol Hill," he said. "The coalition that opposes this program has no plans of letting up in its opposition."
Although Gibbons chose not to disclose specific steps the NFI was taking, he said there are several potential options available to overturn the new catfish rules, including international arbitration through the World Trade Organization (WTO), creating a new repeal bill or tacking the issue onto another bill that would be germane.
"Every option is still on the table, no one has shut down any potential option in terms of working to get rid of this program," he said. “It’s important to note that the coalition remains intact and remains opposed to this program, so the idea that this program is implemented and you just hit the reset button and suggest that this is going to be standard operating procedure from now on, is just inaccurate. People in Washington hate this program, they do not want to be associate with this program.”
Gibbons said that the possibility of retaliatory tariffs against American agriculture, if Vietnam did choose to go ahead with a case against the US through the WTO, has prompted support from advocates outside the seafood industry.
"You see people who have soybean interest, corn interest, beef interest who are involved in this, and not just watching this process but supporting efforts to repeal the program," he said. "This came from the farm bill, and US farmers would be ironically the ones that would pay the price via a WTO option, no one wants to see that."
According to Gibbons, senator Thad Cochran of Mississippi, the largest catfish-producing state, has played a powerful role in both passing and maintaining the program.
"Senator Cochran has an enormous amount of power and he uses it disproportionately to maintain this program because he thinks it helps his constituents back home. In opposition to that effort we have a coalition that, by Washington’s standards, is large and bipartisan.”
When the bill was being passed in 2008, Gibbons said, Cochran held the position of chair of Senate Agriculture and he was the one who put the inspection program into the farm bill. He is currently the chair of Senate Appropriation and remains involved in maintaining the program.
“There continues to be opposition in Washington but Cochran insist on protecting this program,” Gibbons said.
Catfish only the beginning
Gibbons also said there is a high possibility that this kind of regulation will not stop at catfish.
In a May 2014 letter from the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member countries to Ambassador Michael Froman, who leads the Office of the United States Trade Representative, the members said they "have even greater concern that this program will further expand to include other seafood items that [they] export to the United States".
The letter --signed by ambassadors from Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam -- highlighted that the program has been opposed by President Barak Obama and "hundreds of Members of Congress".
The NFI has argued for years that the new regulation is "wasteful and duplicative". Since 2008, the government accountability office has also targeted the new program nine times.
(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