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 ...