I read a short article about the imported Swai. It seems like most imported Swai come from Vietnam and are grown in ponds that are treated with high levels of antibiotics to keep them alive. The fish in most ponds whether in USA or elsewhere are stressed because the density is so high. The stressed condition leads to more disease and need for antibiotics. Further, the conditions in US ponds have some regulations concerning safety and water quality that do not exist in Vietnam. Overuse of antibiotics in any kind of meat contributes to bacterial resistance which is not a good thing. When I go to a restaurant and order catfish, I am thinking that I am purchasing Channel or Blue catfish, probably farmed in a pond in Mississippi, not in Vietnam with uncertain safety regulations. Swai is actually not a catfish but is marketed as one.
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