It would be interesting to know if any of these fish are being grown in the US. From what I read, they spawn by going up river. It doesn't say that is mandatory tho, like salmon. Is it even legal to release them in a pond? It mentions them as aquarium fish, so the "potential" is there.
Feed on other fish and plant matter. Wonder what plant matter?
Fishnchips, I agree, It seems that the large backwater of a muddy river in vietnam or cambodia is not much different than a large clay lined warm water farm pond in Georgia or Florida. If the water had to move a bit at times I'm sure with pumps that requirement could be handled (pumping from one pond to the next in a circle for example to circulate the water from time to time)
Anyone have swai on their list of legal or illegal fish in their state (assuming southern states only would bother to mention it)?
I'm not sure if the aquarium version is the same as what is in the videos online. The filets in the store had to come from a pretty big fish...
They seem to grow bigger than tilapia, equals bigger filets, This could be a prime example of the 'rebranding' of fish to make them more appealing like the patagonian toothfish becoming the chilean sea bass, the slimehead becoming orange roughy, and other foods..(prunes are no longer prunes but 'dried plums', Rapeseed oil is now called canola oil, and this quote from a webpage:
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#1. Sea Urchin Used to Be Whore's Eggs
The Japanese, eaters of all sorts of disgusting things, had been eating whore's eggs for a really long time. As if you needed further proof that the USA leads the way in being a bunch of prudes, allow us to be the first to tell you that folks here in the States have been eating "whore's eggs" for a long time also. The only difference is, because we have some kind of irrational fear of whores, we call them uni here, and that's a stupid name, because what they really are is sea urchins.
Uni is a delicacy here now. In fact, it's so popular that you should get off your computer right now and take up diving. Urchin divers make $2,500 a week. That's almost as much as a good whore makes. "
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(..edit...not the way I would have ended the article...)
Folks down south could call it cultured catfish or something.
At least it seems easy to feed and grow and could be the next experiment for a warm weather PB member who is looking for a new forage fish for their southern strain LMB.
