Channel catfish in China: Historical aspects, current status, and problems

In 1984, channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) was introduced to China from the US. Because of its desirable traits for commercial production, the cultivation area and total production of channel catfish increased in China, reaching a production of 248,000 metric tons and generating an export income of more than 50 million US dollars in 2014. Along with the US, China has become a major producer and consumer of channel catfish. In August 2003, the US Department of Commerce imposed an antidumping tariff on frozen Pangasius fillets from Vietnam, which provided a good opportunity for export of China channel catfish. But since then both export volume and value had been choppy and volatile. Meanwhile, from 2003 to 2012, the prices of domestic market were largely affected by exports. Export volume and value in the previous year influenced the domestic market prices in the next year. Because of the sharply declined export in 2007, attention was focused on the domestic market. After 2009, the domestic market consumption gradually expanded from 60% to more than 85%. Stability of the domestic market resulted in reduced price fluctuations in the domestic catfish prices and a slowly upturn of exports. This review outlines the historical, present situation and challenges of the channel catfish industry in China and provides some suggestions for its sustainable development.