“Another bizarre handout in this Farm Bill is the creation of a Catfish Office inside the U.S. Department of Agriculture. At a cost of $15 million a year, USDA will hire inspectors to visually inspect catfish in seafood facilities – and only catfish.
“Senator Shaheen and I (and 11 other Senators) have sponsored legislation to kill this catfish program. In 2012, our legislation was adopted in the Senate by voice vote. Last year, the House Agriculture Committee passed a bi-partisan amendment to repeal it in the Farm Bill. Despite all of this opposition, the unpopular Catfish Office resiliently survived conference!
“Americans do not need a new USDA catfish inspection program. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) already tests catfish along with all other seafood. But certain Farm Bill conferees are insisting on creating a Catfish Office because catfish farmers in southern states don’t want to compete against foreign catfish importers. Its true purpose is trade protectionism at the taxpayer’s expense. Under this Farm Bill, there will be a virtual ban on catfish imports for several years while foreign inspectors switch from FDA’s inspection procedures to USDA’s catfish procedures.
“The GAO investigated the proposed Catfish Office and in four different reports called it ‘duplicative and wasteful’ and warned that it ‘fragments our food safety system’ by spitting FDA’s responsibility to inspect seafood. In fact, one GAO report simply titled, ‘Responsibility for Inspecting Catfish Should Not Be Assigned to USDA’ called on Congress to eliminate the Catfish Office. Both USDA and FDA have questioned the scientific value of the proposed Catfish. Several years ago, USDA studied the idea and concluded, ‘There is substantial uncertainty regarding the actual effectiveness of a [USDA] catfish inspection program.’ Even the President’s Budget proposed to zero it out.
“American consumers should also be concerned about the trade implications of this program. Some nations, including Vietnam, have threatened WTO retaliation against American agriculture exports, like beef and soybeans. Trade experts warn that this catfish gimmick is the kind of protectionism that harms our efforts to win concessions under trade agreement negotiations like the Trans Pacific Partnership, which could reduce tariffs on American products sold to Asian trading partners.
“Again, Senator Shaheen and I tried to eliminate the Catfish Office in the Senate’s Farm Bill, but the managers blocked a vote on our amendment. The House Agriculture Committee did the right thing and passed a Farm Bill amendment to eliminate it. Unfortunately when this bill went to conference, several Senate conferees blocked a vote in conference to repeal it and actually rewrote the law to fortify it.
“Mr. President, it seems that catfish is one bottom feeder with friends in high places.
“Mr. President, at the end of the day, this Farm Bill will be hailed by its supporters as reform-minded. Let me assure the American public that it is hardly reform. It was managed under a closed-amendment process and will prove to be more wasteful and costly than any Farm Bill we’ve seen to date. For these reasons, I urge my colleagues to join me in opposing this bill.”
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In Gia Vien district, tilapia farming—particularly the “duong nghiep” strain—is expanding rapidly and gradually becoming an efficient production model for local farmers. Hatcheries in the area are supplying high-quality, uniform, and disease-free fingerlings, meeting the growing demand for commercial farming.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On the afternoon of March 19, Vice Chairman of the Ca Mau Provincial People’s Committee, Le Van Su, chaired a meeting to address bottlenecks and propose solutions to expand the super-intensive whiteleg shrimp farming model using low water exchange and high biosecurity standards (RAS-IMTA).
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On March 10, 2026, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee issued Decision No. 1377/QD-UBND approving the Aquatic Animal Disease Prevention and Control Plan for the 2026–2030 period. The decision takes effect from the date of signing and replaces previous plans for the 2021–2030 period that had been issued prior to the administrative merger in Ba Ria – Vung Tau, Binh Duong, and Ho Chi Minh City.
(vasep.com.vn) In 2025, Chile imported more than USD 156 million worth of tuna, up 8.1% compared to the previous year and the highest level in the past five years. As the supply structure in this market is rapidly shifting, Vietnamese tuna is facing both opportunities to expand market share and increasing competitive pressure from Thailand, Colombia, and China.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vinh Long Province is stepping up efforts to develop brackish water shrimp farming in a sustainable direction, identifying it as a key sector in its agricultural structure. In 2026, the province aims to reach around 71,300 hectares of shrimp farming, with an output of over 314,000 tons.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Ha Tinh Province is strengthening control over shrimp seed quality to minimize risks for the 2026 spring–summer farming season.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In February 2026, Vietnam’s pangasius exports reached USD 119 million, down slightly 5% year-on-year. However, thanks to strong performance in January, cumulative exports in the first two months of the year still reached USD 331 million, up 28% compared to the same period in 2025. Export activity slowed somewhat in February due to seasonal factors, particularly the Lunar New Year holiday, which disrupted production and shipments at many seafood processing enterprises.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Da Nang is accelerating the development of high-tech shrimp farming toward intensive production, disease control, and improved efficiency. Many shrimp farms have invested in automated environmental monitoring systems, continuously tracking indicators such as pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and salinity, enabling farmers to promptly adjust pond conditions and reduce disease risks.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The year 2025 is considered a turning point for Vietnam’s shrimp seed industry as the sector faces the need for strong transformation in technology, production management, and gradual self-sufficiency in broodstock supply. These factors are seen as key to improving seed quality and strengthening the competitiveness of the shrimp industry amid increasingly demanding market requirements.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In February 2026, Vietnam’s shrimp exports reached nearly USD 310 million, up 17% year-on-year. Cumulatively for the first two months of the year, shrimp export value totaled USD 690 million, an increase of 20% compared with the same period last year. Compared with the 22% growth recorded in January, the pace of increase in February slowed somewhat, reflecting seasonal factors as the Lunar New Year holiday partially disrupted processing and shipment activities. Nevertheless, the nearly 20% growth in the first two months indicates that shrimp orders from Vietnam are maintaining a more positive trend than in the same period last year.
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