New Zealand fishermen protest against Vietnamese catfish imports

The New Zealand Federation of Commercial Fishermen is opposing a government move to allow imports of Vietnamese catfish, saying it could dominate the fish and chips trade and ruin the local industry.

Federation chairman Doug Saunders-Loder said Vietnamese catfish and tilapia are farmed in the Mekong River, which is reported to have untreated sewage from up to 60 million people discharged into it.

He said New Zealand had legalized imports of Vietnamese catfish and tilapia despite questionable production practices.

Pangasius catfish farms are prone to health problems, and use antibiotics and chemicals inappropriately therefore causing environment and human health issues, Saunders-Loder said.

Child labour is used and environmental standards are minimal in some Asian countries, so the cost of fish imported into New Zealand could be up to half the price of New Zealand fish, which could wipe out the local inshore fishing industry, he said.

This isn't the first time in recent months that Vietnam faced accusations of inappropriate aquaculture practices. Egypt, Russia and Italy had expressed their concerns that Vietnamese catfish were unsafe, although tests by Egypt later proved that 87 out of 95 samples of Vietnam's basa catfish met health and safety standards.

Russia also verified Vietnam's aquaculture practices in the Mekong Delta and reopened its market, and has now allowed another 30 Vietnamese seafood companies to export seafood there.