August 22, 2017 — Ten days away from the beginning of full enforcement of USDA catfish inspections, the department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is doing a little remedial training for “wild-caught” producers.
The FSIS has scheduled educational meetings Thursday at the Holiday Inn Memphis Airport and Convention Center, and on Friday at the Florida Bass Conservation Center in Webster, FL.
The meetings are to “discuss the enforcement and implementation of the Final Rule on the mandatory inspection of fish of the order Siluriformes and products derived from such fish” with FSIS seeking out “participation from representatives from domestic wild-caught operations that process Siluriformes fish and fish products,” according to a notice from the government agency.
While most “wild-caught” catfish go home with those lucky enough to catch them, the FSIS rules cover some commercial operations. Under the rule, FSIS will inspect both wild-caught and farm-raised catfish processed in official establishments and test them for metals, dyes, pesticides and animal drug residues.
FSIS requires that fish harvested for human food, whether wild-caught or farm-raised, not be raised “under conditions that would render them unsound, unhealthful, or otherwise unfit for human food.”
A variety of “farm-raised,” methods including fish in pools and floating cages are covered.