Vietnam’s tuna industry is raising concerns about a new regulation aimed at protecting the lucrative stock.
In 2017, Vietnam approved an updated fisheries law as part of a broader effort to improve its marine resource protection and combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, after it received a yellow card from the European Commission.
In early 2024, the country's government issued a revision of the law to strengthen its enforcement after continued criticism from the European Union. Under Decree 37/2024/ND-CP, fishers are only allowed to catch skipjack measuring 500 millimeters or larger, and businesses are prohibited from purchasing skipjack smaller than this size for processing and export purposes. The decree is designed to safeguard tuna populations and prevent the capture of undersized fish; failing to comply with this regulation is considered a violation under the nation’s IUU guidelines.
According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), skipjack tuna 500 millimeters or larger comprise only 5 percent to 8 percent of each haul, so the new regulation has placed significant pressure on local fishermen. Many fishing ports in Vietnam have stopped issuing raw material certification for skipjack tuna caught by local fishermen because the size of the majority of the fish caught is smaller than the new minimum size requirements. Additionally, tuna-processing companies in the country have announced they will no longer purchase skipjack tuna smaller than 500 millimeters. These changes have forced many local fishermen to cancel fishing trips because they can no longer sell the majority of their catch.
Skipjack tuna accounts for more than 85 percent of the country's total tuna production, and with fishermen losing a lot of this business, in September, more than 70 vessel owners from Quang Ngai and Binh Dinh provinces submitted a petition to the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, urging changes to the law. The petition stated that fishermen in 12 coastal provinces of Vietnam are concerned and unsure of what to do with their catch and how to recover their expenses, the Dau tu Online reported.
The Binh Dinh Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, one of Vietnam's major tuna-fishing regions, has also petitioned the ministry, submitting a formal request calling for a review of the size requirement, according to Cong Thuong magazine. The total annual tuna catch in Binh Dinh exceeds 55,000 metric tons (MT), primarily consisting of skipjack tuna. Of the skipjack tuna caught in the province each year, only between 10 percent and 15 percent are 500 millimeters or longer, while the majority measure between 300 and 400 millimeters.
Processing companies are also joining calls made by provincial officials and fishermen to call for a revision of the size requirements, as the regulation is negatively affecting their production and exports.
Nguyen Hung Hoa, the director of exporting firm Nguyen Hong, said at a recent regional seminar his company is unable to purchase enough fish for processing due to the new regulation.
"If this issue is not resolved, the future of our company, as well as other businesses, will be highly uncertain, and it will be difficult for us to survive," a representative from exporting firm Foodtech said at the seminar.
The regulation is adversely affecting Vietnam’s canned tuna exports, too.
According to VASEP, skipjack tuna is the main raw material for producing canned tuna in Vietnam. In 2023, the country’s canned tuna exports were worth USD 255 million (EUR 234 million), up 9 percent from 2022 and accounting for over 30 percent of Vietnam's total tuna export value.
Since the size regulation took effect in May, the export value of canned tuna has decreased each month. For example, in August, sales dropped 13 percent year over year to nearly USD 22 million (EUR 20.2 million). The annual value of skipjack tuna exports to the two largest markets, the U.S. and the E.U., declined from May to August.
Vietnam Fisheries Department Official Vu Duyen Hai, said that due to the new regulation, the country risks losing its global market share in canned tuna. Competitors like Thailand may seize the opportunity to dominate markets that Vietnam currently holds, he told Tuoi Tre newspaper.
“If this continues, businesses will face raw material shortages, and we will lose the market. Meanwhile, developing and securing a market takes between five and 10 years, and once lost, it is extremely difficult to recover,” he said.
