While there aren t many studies on farm fished swai per se when it comes to tilapia and salmon it s clear that farmed fish is not the best option. What is swai fish.
What Is A Swai Fish Earth Com
The effect of swai fish farms on the ecosystem is a major concern the monterey bay aquarium s seafood watch program lists swai as a fish that should be avoided as some swai fish farms.
Is swai fish farm raised. Stick with domestic farm raised catfish advises marianne cufone director of the fish program at food water watch. And it s clear that swai fish falls in the same category. It s responsibly farmed and plentiful making it one of the.
However in the last 20 years it has become a common farm raised fish and a large source of income for the vietnamese. Swai is a white flesh fish typically available in fillet form with a sweet mild taste and light flaky texture that can be broiled grilled or coating with bread crumbs and fried according to. The product is not only commonly sold in most asian countries but it is a significant worldwide export.
Swai pangasianodon hypophthalmus is a white freshwater fish that is found in vietnamese rivers. The other side of the coin features swai fish that are farm raised rather than caught in the wild. The fish exported to the us are high quality fish specifically farmed in industrial farms to be exported and have passed fda.
I haven t gotten food poisoning from them once. Imported basa swai tra striped catfish often labeled catfish although these fish are popping up as trendy new menu items all over the united states what you re likely getting is a fish called pangasius or swai fish a much cheaper alternative that wholesales for around 2 per pound. There is a lot of negative information mostly false about catfish from vietnam basa swai including a very inflammatory video saying that the fish are raised in filth ridden cesspools of pollution and sold to the us market.
I ve eaten hundreds of them in my 23 years of life. Most of this information is propaganda. The swai fish species is a sustainable aquaculture species which means these easy to commercially farm.
A 2016 study found 70 80 percent of pangasius samples were contaminated by vibriobacteria. Swai is mostly farmed in southeast asia and since these do not take as much time as basa to grow therefore they are shipped in huge quantities for exports. In this instance the swai are raised in freshwater ponds and farmed in a safe clean environment which is free from pollutants and toxins.