Traditionally, Pangasius Hypophthalmus has been fished in the wild, but it is increasingly also raised in farms all over Southeast Asia. The total production amounts to several hundred thousand tons per year. The majority is exported to Europe, where Pangasius is popular because of its delicate, mild-tasting meat and its low price.

Main producing countries of Pangasius are Vietnam and Thailand, to a lesser extent, China, Myanmar, Bangladesh and India. For quite some years Pangasius has been farmed in the United States, too. But the main producers, such as Vietnam raised their production significantly. Vietnam raised the production of Pangasius and “Basa”, the trade label for the Pangasius Hypophthalmus and Pangasius bocourti from some 400,000 tons in 2005 to over one million tons in 2007, having a market value of more than 700 million U.S. dollars. Pangasius is farmed using primarily flooded rice fields. The fish are kept in special ponds or within cages natural flowing waters until the frozen filets are exported to the rest of the world. The main consumers are countries of the European Union (Read more on Pangasius farming).

The Mekong giant catfish is endemic in the Mekong region. Originally, this included the whole Mekong River and its tributaries in Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Burma, Vietnam and southern China. Today, Pangasius Gigas is almost exclusively found in the Tonle Sap Lake and the nearby areas of the Mekong River. The Mekong giant catfish is a pure freshwater fish, living in large rivers preferring water depths of 10 or more meters. They prefer rocky or gravel substrate and are occasionally found in underwater caves.

While young animals feed on zooplankton and small crustaceans – they are even prone to cannibalism – adult Mekong giant catfish are pure herbivores, feeding mainly on algae.

The Mekong giant catfish has been a popular edible fish for a long time due to its size and its tasty meat. Here the meat is tastier than after the spawning migration. However, since the 1950s, annual catches decreased from several hundred to a few individual catches. The stock seems to be in a free fall, reaching a maximum of some 2,500 animals in the wild.

Initial attempts to keep the Mekong giant catfish in farms were started in 1967 in Thailand, as their rapid growth seems promising for commercial use. 1983 was the year of artificial reproduction and the annual production reaches currently over three hundred thousand fish. However, it is still unclear whether attempts of reintroduction to the wild can have the desired positive impact.

Pangasius Farming in Vietnam

The Vietnamese have literally “launched” a new Pangasius industry on the world market starting in 1996-1997. As Pangasius supports a high stocking density and grows extremely quick, a big industry evolved during the last fifteen years. Pangasius does not feature only a fairly good environmental performance, but its farming does not even require a high consumption of other animal based food.

Pangasius Production

In nature, Pangasius can live up to twenty years, while the fish breeds once or twice a year; producing some 2,000 eggs per spawning. However, with artificial ovulation, it can reach hundreds of millions of eggs. The Pangasius can be harvested already after some 5 to 8 months. When it comes to Pangasius farming, the breeding place is composed of several basins with a size of some 500 m² and a depth of 2.5 m to 3 m. The Pangasius is fed with fish offal, small shrimp, soy flour, wheat, or even beans.

When Pangasius are raised, the water is constantly maintained at a temperature of 28° C, what makes the Fish to reproduce faster. Thus, one can gain per cage m³ a yield of 100 to 300 kg of fish. This high efficiency compared to the farmed salmon from Norway, with a yield of only 30 kilograms per cubic meters explains the competitive price of Pangasius.

Pangasius Processing

At the end of the production cycle a Pangasius will weigh some 900 grams up to 1.5 kilograms. The fish is then transported to a nearby industrial area where it will be sliced and frozen. Freezing is virtually inevitable, given the high distance to the destination markets in Western countries. After freezing, the Pangasius will be packaged and stored, and finally transported by ship or aircraft to the destination markets.

Pangasius Export and Shipping

For transport the Pangasius to its destination markets some documents will be necessary:

The packing list

The health certificate (issued by the Ministry of Fisheries in Vietnam NAFIQUAVED)

A Certificate of Origin (issued by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Vietnam VCCI).

Eventually, after the Pangasius arrived it might be thawed and sold to wholesalers, purchasing centers and the like. Some of course, are sold frozen.

The whole process will delay the time until the fish will reach the customer by roughly 15 days. It may take 1 day for the fishery, on the second day the fish will be processed, while it has to wait afterwards 3 more days to get the product specifications done and another 7 days for the health certificate. Finally, the export will take some other 3 days for the Pangasius to arrive.

Ingredients

2 Basa filets

Olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Some salt and pepper

Fish seasoning, according to preferences

Optional: 1 clove garlic, crushed

1 lime

Directions

Take the thawed Pangasius filets and dry them with some kitchen paper. Season them with some salt and pepper or fish seasoning of your choice, while pre-heating the olive oil in a skillet.

Optional: If you like garlic, you could also marinade the Basa filets before: chop one clove garlic, mix it with some olive oil, salt and pepper and apply it to the filets. Now let the filets rest for at least 10 minutes, better 20 minutes up to an hour.

Now, just saute the filets in the pan until they turn golden. Give the Basa filets on a plate and garnish with parsley and some lime. Serve with rice or potatoes. A dry white wine fits well.

Pangasius Filet in Skillet

Tips

The meat of the Basa fish is mild, yet very tasty on its own. There is no need for special seasoning in order to obtain a good result.