The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) has formed a crab council as part of its seafood committee that will work on blue swimming crab sustainability projects.
The National Fisheries Institute’s (NFI) Crab Council on Tuesday said it is eager to work with the group and has already donated funds to help it get up and running.
“We’ve had success moving blue swimming crab fisheries further along the road toward sustainability in both Indonesia and the Philippines, thanks to the dedicated groups we work with in those countries, and we look forward to expanding our support to Vietnam through VASEP,” said Ed Rhodes, chairman of the NFI Crab Council.
The first project VASEP plans to fund is work on crab banks, holding systems designed to protect spawning female crabs. This project is part of the Kien Giang Fishery Improvement Program.
The NFI’s Crab Council has been instrumental in enacting a minimum-size limit for blue swimming crab exports to the United States and has garnered the support of nearly 70 percent of the imported blue swimming crab market.
“Expanding the council’s support to Vietnam is an important step,” said Paul McCarthy, executive VP for Chicken of the Sea Frozen Foods. “We’re encouraged to hear that participating VASEP members will spearhead the development of fisheries improvement plans and will work with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to execute them.”
