The Delta Council board of directors has endorsed a proposal to add catfish to U.S. Department of Agriculture's food safety inspection program.
The council is a regional group of agriculture and business interests in the Mississippi Delta.
The proposal has the backing of the Catfish Farmers of America. The Hattiesburg American says the catfish farmers want the Obama administration to sign off on a strategy to have Vietnamese imports considered catfish so that they will be covered by new inspections.
The USDA regulates all meat products, but it does not inspect seafood. The inspection of imported seafood is administered by the Food and Drug Administration.