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June 25, 2005

National Catfish Day: Bottom-Dwellers At Risk

One would think that even a nuclear winter couldn't put a dent in the catfish population. After all, they're scum-sucking garbage-eating bottom dwellers, right? Unfortunately for catfish, they are also considered tasty when breaded and fried. One of Ronald Reagan's most important contributions in office was proclaiming the official designation of National Catfish Day on June 25th, back in 1987. The President called the catfish, which was the third most popular fish in the US, a "uniquely American food delicacy" and urged Americans to "observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities".

Okay, so I'm positive this is not the oddest national observance ever proclaimed by a president, although I'm tempted to come up with some form of pagan ceremonial catfish chant. However, while I (and I'm sure the fish-farming PACs) appreciate the sentiment (forcefully restraining myself from typing sediment here - haha), calling catfish "uniquely American" is just plain wrong.

According to John Lundberg, researcher with the All Catfish Species Inventory, 2,800 species of catfish have already been described and an additional 1,500 species may yet be discovered. "One out of every four freshwater fish, one out of ten fishes, and one out of twenty vertebrates…is a catfish." Catfish are found on every continent except Antarctica and in fresh, coastal, and marine waters. They are perhaps the most ecologically and economically important group of fish in the world.

More at: National Geographic: Mekong Giant Catfish

Bottom-dwelling fish that like brackish water are a primary food source in Africa and Asia. According to the United Nations, Asian-Pacific fisheries are the world’s largest producer of both farmed fish and captured fish – accounting for 91 per cent and 48 per cent of total world production but without judicious management of fisheries, the market's future is threatened. Overfishing is causing regional food shortages as well as having far-reaching economic effects for these already struggling countries. These countries have begun to "fish down the food-chain".

There is great difficulty nowadays in sustaining global fisheries production at around 82 million tons. In response to declines of commercially valuable stocks of bigger, slower growing species, commercial fishing fleets have turned to "fishing down the food chain", targeting increasingly large quantities of smaller species of fish with less commercial value.

More at: Greenpeace: Fishing Down The Food Chain

Catfish, especially the Mekong giant catfish, have been appearing in the news quite a lot lately. At the beginning of May, the largest freshwater fish ever recorded was caught in Northern Thailand. At a monstrous 650lbs and over nine feet long, the fish was approximately the size of a grizzly bear. This catfish was not some freak of nature, though, but just an extraordinarily large specimen of an already gigantic species that has long held the Guinness record as the largest freshwater fish ever caught.

The local fishermen have long fished for this dinosaur-like catch, which is called Pla Buek [Huge Fish] in Thai - a single fish can feed a whole village. Catfish make up a substantial portion of the fish market in countries like Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Today, though, the Mekong giant catfish is considered critically endangered. The World Conservation Union (IUCN) lists overfishing, fishing with explosives in spawning areas, and habitat destruction as the primary causes for the marked decline in fish populations. Only a handful of these fish are caught every year now, and most are re-released as part of the Mekong Fish Conservation Project.

This time of year, fishers along the banks of the Mekong River in the village of Chiang Khong in northern Thailand wait expectant, as they have for hundreds of years, for the arrival and harvest of giant catfish. But this year the catfish may never come.

More at: Big Trouble for Asia's Giant Catfish

Recent steps by the U.S. Congress to enforce proper and specific labeling of foreign fish at market has helped warn U.S. consumers that they might be buying from overfished stocks like the catfish. Researchers like Zeb Hogan of the Mekong Fish Conservation Project remain optimistic about the future of the Mekong.

What hope is there that the decline will be reversed or at least halted?

When considering the Mekong River as a whole, there is still reason to be optimistic. The Mekong River has not been dammed below China, remains relatively unpolluted, and produces more aquatic resources for human consumption than any other river on the planet.

The Mekong giant catfish can be saved, but it will take a level of commitment from all countries of the lower Mekong, as well as international organizations and donor agencies, that currently does not exist.

More at: Giant Catfish Critically Endangered

So there's some hope for the Mekong giant catfish. After all, it's one of the fastest growing freshwater fish species in the world, according to the Asian-Pacific Fishery Commission (APFIC). Let's hope that with heightened awareness, conservation techniques and incentives, they can bounce back from this decline. However, in order for this to happen, the fish need time to be able to reach maturity and make lots of baby fishes.

Posted by sorsha at June 25, 2005 10:06 AM