The catfish and basa are freshwater fish; they are originally from two different regions. The catfish can be found in parts of North America, Asia, and Africa. Basa are originally from Asia. They were first recognized in Vietnam and Mekong. The basa fish have been introduced to other parts of the world because they have significant commercial value and can thrive in many freshwater bodies all over the world.
Catfish vs Basa
The catfish are found lurking in brackish rivers, places with dams and lakes. They are bottom feeders which tend to hide in brush piles, caves beneath the water and thick underwater vegetation. The basa lives in similar places, but they are more visible in their natural habitat when they occasionally swim to the surface and around the river looking for food.
Catfish are omnivores; they eat aquatic plants and living things in the rivers or lakes. Catfish enjoy eating smaller fish such as shads, minnows, crayfish, worms and many other edible food sources in the river. However, the basa are predominantly herbivorous fish species. Basa are known to feed on aquatic plants which form a major part of their diet.
Catfish have a cylindrically shaped body, smooth, slippery skin with no scales and a broad head which prominently feature the barbells. Catfish can be easily identified with their barbels. The basa also has a broad head, and thick body, the lower belly looks more prominent in adult basa. The full-grown basa can reach as long as 47 inches while catfish averagely grow to reach 62 inches.
Catfish spawn when the water in their habitat is warmer. This is usually at the beginning of spring or during summer. The spawning process takes place within two weeks, and the fry are hatched. Basa starts spawning at the beginning of the raining season. This is a time when food is abundant for the basa in the shallow parts of the water where it goes to spawn. The newly hatched basa are seen at the beginning of June and depending on the time of spawning, they can be found in the shallow parts of the water until the month ends. Newly hatched fish rely on instincts to survive; they are potential prey and food for even smaller fish species such as the tilapia. However, many of these little fish survive and become adults.
Catfish has extensive commercial value. It is caught and sold by anglers from all over the world, in regions where catfish exist. There are many efforts to improve local farming of catfish to improve the hybrids and most sought after catfish species. Basas thrived in the commercial market when they were predominantly imported from Vietnam many years ago. Now basa is farmed in local ponds and also introduced in rivers in other parts of the world where they do not perform too badly.
Anglers claim catfish are easier to find than basa when fishing in their natural habitat. This may be due to the process through which basa was introduced to other parts of the world. They may not exist in every river or lake you can find around.
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