Chapter 6: Case 1, "The Great Catfish Debate" Flashcards
What exactly is the issue here?
Some 10,000 American jobs in the catfish industry are being threatened by the industry encroachment of Vietnam.
What are three advantages Vietnam has in catfish production?
(1) No winter
(2) Higher density in ponds (“tra” species can breathe at the pond surface)
(3) Cheaper labor
What was the US catfish industry’s first solution?
Selective disclosure: In the import process, disallow the Vietnamese fish from being called “catfish”… rename them by fish names unknown to the American consumer.
What was the issue with the “selective disclosure” name solution?
US truth-in-menu policies require the fish to be identified as the fish that it is.
The Catfish Institute instead tried to…
Change the name again (surprise, surprise), but this time the name of the American catfish. They tried to market it as more premium fish, newly christened “delcata.”
This solution is currently in effect, so there is no data yet on its effectiveness.
Describe the issue of “dumping.”
When fish (or any product) is sold below the cost of production to strangle competition.
What serendipitous (for the US) event allowed American catfish industry stakeholders to make one final argument against Vietnamese fish imports?
Cats and dogs were getting sick (and/or dying!) from imported Chinese pet food, which cast a negative perception around all imported food products.
Describe the initiative the catfish industry is trying to pass involving inspections.
The Catfish Institute wants to pass a regulation requiring 100% inspection at the production source. Currently not close to passing because the Dept. of Agriculture has no budget for fish inspections.
