A seafood importer from the US state of California is recalling catfish products after it was discovered that they were produced by an establishment in Vietnam that is not eligible to export Siluriformes fish to the US.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) shared a recall notice from NAIL Factory, the importer of record located in Huntington Beach, California, on Thursday (Dec. 19).

NAIL Factory is recalling approximately 1,635 pounds of frozen Siluriformes fish products. The items were not only produced by a Vietnamese establishment that is not eligible to export Siluriformes fish to the US but also not presented for import reinspection into the US.

Products involved in the recall include Dac San Dong Que Ca Tre Vang Kho To Stewed Walking Catfish, Dac San Dong Que Ca Hu Kho To Stewed Shark Catfish, and Dac San Dong Que Ca Tre Vang Chien Nuoc Mam Gung Fried Walking Catfish. 

All three items have a "best before" date of Dec. 30, 2025.

While the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates both domestic and imported seafood, as of March 2016, all Siluriformes fish, including catfish, fall under the regulatory jurisdiction of the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). 

Per the USDA announcement, FSIS discovered the ineligible products during routine surveillance activities of imported products at a retail store in California. An FDA registration number on the products in question tipped off FSIS inspectors. 

In addition to the California stores, the catfish items were sent to retail locations in Arizona and Iowa. The USDA noted that the products were also distributed to nail salons, "which either sold the products or used them for promotions."

While there have been "no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption," FSIS is urging consumers who may have bought the products not to consume them.