It's basa-and-chips as shoppers choose sustainable fish

Jasper Copping, The Telegraph 3 Aug 08;

A catfish from the murky depths of the Mekong Delta in Vietnam is becoming an unlikely favourite of British diners.

New figures show that sales of the fish - which is known as basa, tra or panga - are increasing at a far faster rate than any other species.

Over the last year, Britons have eaten more than 555 tons of the fish, 42 times more than over the previous 12 months.

It is one of a series of unusual types of seafood which are growing in popularity, as shoppers and retailers look for alternatives to the threatened stocks of more traditional staples like cod, tuna, haddock and monkfish.

Basa is a freshwater fish with a tender, mild flavour, and is farmed in the Mekong delta - an area which saw heavy fighting during the Vietnam War.

It is sold in the UK as fillets or in processed meals, and has proved popular in restaurants and chip shops. It has featured in recipes from the television chef Anthony Worrall Thompson. Sales last year totalled more than £4 million.

The figures, produced for Seafish, the trade body that represents the seafood industry, also show continued increases in sales of pollock (up 144 per cent to 5,511 tons), a relative of cod, which is caught in UK waters but also imported from the Pacific; and sea bass (up 27 per cent to 1,628 tons), most of which is farmed in the Mediterranean.

Squid sales have also risen sharply, up by 57 per cent to 628 tons, as climate change has led to a large increase in the numbers caught in UK waters. Sales of Tilapia, a freshwater fish from East Africa, have risen by 55 per cent to 179 tons.

Although cod remains the most popular fish, with 54,000 tons eaten last year, its sales fell by more than 12 per cent. Sales of haddock and tuna also declined, while plaice sales remained largely static.

Experts believe consumers are turning away from the traditional species because of concerns over the long-term sustainability of some stocks.

The Marine Conservation Society is expected to publish this month its latest guide of ethical fish to eat. Its Fishonline website currently suggests fish to avoid include Atlantic cod, halibut, wild salmon and turbot from the North Sea.

Philip MacMullen, head of environment for Seafish, said: "Choosing alternative species helps to ease the pressure on stocks of more traditional fish. Basa has had a meteoric rise. Our palate tends to appreciate fish that are not strong-flavoured, and basa is one those. It has a texture and taste that is quite similar to a white sea fish.

"People are becoming more adventurous, partly in response to TV chefs happy to cook different types of fish and partly because retailers and processors are much more focused on sourcing fish responsibly."

Seafood supplier Young's was the first to introduce basa as an alternative species, and now offers a range of products made from the Vietnamese fish. Basa is also sold in restaurants, as well as battered in chip shops. Arthur Parrington, from the National Federation of Fish Friers, said: "People are experimenting with more fish and basa is a very acceptable type of fish. There is no bone and it fries very well."