Fish Story: Catfish Impersonating Pricier Catches

There's nothing wrong with catfish but it's not the most prized marine specimen around and is actively disliked by many seafood fanciers. Unfortunately, those with an untrained palate may be eating a lot more catfish than they realize.

The fishing industry trades are full of stories lately about Vietnamese catfish turning up with all kinds of inaccurate labels.

Among the most outrageous was a case in Mobile, Ala., recently. Two Arizona business executives pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud consumers by selling more than 283,000 pounds of Vietnamese catfish as sole.

Karen L Blyth faces two years and nine months in prison and David H.M. Phelps two years, under the terms of a plea bargain that must still be approved by U.S. District Judge Ginny Granade.

“These prosecutions should send a clear message that instances of consumer fraud will be vigorously prosecuted and that this U.S. Attorney's office will continue to protect local seafood consumers and all components of the local seafood and industry,” said Kenyen Brown, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama.

Prosecutors said that some of that fish had been found to contain malachite green, a chemical banned in the United States, plus a banned antibiotic called Enrofloxin. Authorities say another case involved 101,078 pounds of catfish being sold as grouper in Alabama, Florida and beyond.

British courts have also heard their share of whoppers lately. In one case, a fish-and-chips shop owner was heavily fined for selling catfish as cod, which is twice as expensive. He claimed he had forgotten to change his sign.

Bill Crook of England's National Federation Fish Friers, said fish from the Mekong River in Vietnam should be avoided: “We don’t like the fish and have said so. A lot of pub chains have started selling it as fish and chips without advertising what it really is,” according to FishUpdate, a trade publication.