Participants at the workshop shared their experiences in breeding, feeding and disease prevention in the fish, as well as product processing, marketing and sales.

According to the Vice President of Vietnam's Association of Seafood Exporters and Processors (VASEP), Nguyen Huu Dung, Vietnam has developed 9,000 ha of land for the breeding of tra and basa catfish since 2000, mainly concentrated in the Mekong Delta region.

During 2008, the country earned US$1.45 billion from the export of 650,000 tonnes of catfish to 127 countries, a year-on-year increase of 48 per cent, Dung said.

As well as the EU, the single largest importer of catfish, Vietnam's major markets include Russia, Ukraine and Arabian countries, Dung added.

Dung also noted a number of challenges currently facing the sector, such as water pollution, food hygiene and safety, trademark infringement, anti-dumping and competition from other kinds of seafood.

During the workshop, a representative from the Network of Agriculture Centre in Asia and the Pacific suggested the establishment of an inter-governmental organisation to help regional countries to deal with these and other difficulties.

Purbasari Surjadi of the Indonesian Sustainable Fisheries Partnership stressed the necessity of granting certificates to catfish breeders who meet hygiene and environmental standards during the breeding process.

At the same time, basa breeding areas should be zoned off for protection, while water resources should be better managed, she said.