Exports of tuna, one of Vietnam's major seafood products, grew by 51.2 percent over the past five years. However, many Vietnamese fishermen still lack the catching and processing skills that would improve product quality and therefore value. The central coastal province of Binh Dinh is changing these habits by training fishermen in modern techniques.
Cao Thi Kim Lan, director of the Binh Dinh fishery joint stock company (Bidifisco), expressed disappointment over the results of a tuna auction at the Osaka central wholesale market, where only one of four yellow fin tuna (thunnus albacares) she had brought from Viet Nam qualified for processing as sashimi. The other fish ended up being sold as fillets at a much lower price.
This means that less than a third of the Vietnamese fishermen's tuna catch from the central region of the Viet Nam sea could meet the standards that will merit the highest possible price.
"I felt disappointment over the debut auction at Japan's biggest tuna market. Moreover, Japanese experts and dealers at the market told me that the quality of tuna from the Viet Nam sea was not as good as that of other countries, such as Australia, Japan and Indonesia," Lan recalled.
