Basa vs. tra

[Dinyar]

The growth in Vietnamese [catfish] imports coincided with a switch by that country's fish farmers from the slower-growing, and hence more expensive, "basa" catfish to the faster-growing, "tra" catfish. Raised in cages floating on the warm, fast-flowing waters of the Mekong River, "tra" could reach market size in half the time of U.S. catfish and for half of the price.

So what's "basa" and what's "tra"?

[Silurus]

The names come from the Vietnamese names for various pangasiids. Basa (or to use the proper Vietnamese name Cá basa, the Vietnamese word cá meaning fish) is the name given to <i>Pangasius mekongensis</i> (often misidentified as <i>P. pangasius</i>), while Cá tra is the name given to <i>P. micronemus</i>, although I think the term "cá tra" is also used to mean pangasiids in general, hence Cá tra yêu = <i>P. hypophthalmus</i>.

[beng]

Indochinese catfish have been in the news:

Thursday, 20 December, 2001, 14:06 GMT
Catfish row mars Vietnam trade talks
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/1716296.stm

Thursday, 10 October, 2002, 11:46 GMT 12:46 UK
Catfish row threatens Vietnam farmers
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/2315837.stm

Tuesday, 28 January, 2003, 12:04 GMT
US steps up catfish trade fight
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/2701429.stm

Wednesday, 18 June, 2003, 05:56 GMT 06:56 UK
US hits Vietnam fish and Korean chips
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/2999434.stm

Vietnamese Catfish
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/p ... 819959.stm

Wednesday, 15 June 2005, 11:10 GMT 12:10 UK
Cambodia to track Mekong catfish
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4095298.stm

Saturday, 10 June 2006, 19:41 GMT 20:41 UK
Giant Mekong catfish off the hook
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5068206.stm