The United States is a key market, so it is necessary to immediately prioritize resolving issues related to MMPA.
Mr. Pham Quang Toan, Deputy Director of the Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Control, Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, said that the total aquatic product output in the first two months of 2025 reached 1.23 million tons, an increase of 2.4% over the same period in 2024. Of which, the exploitation output reached nearly 551,000 tons, while the aquaculture output reached more than 692,000 tons. The export turnover of aquatic products reached more than 1.4 billion USD, an increase of 18% over the same period last year.
The United States continues to be the largest market, contributing about 1.8 billion USD to Vietnam's total seafood export turnover in 2024, accounting for a significant proportion in the market structure.
Mr. Le Ba Anh, Deputy Director of the Department of Quality, Processing and Market Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, said that to date, only 16 shipments have been warned, accounting for 0.1% of the total shipments, down from 0.16% in the first quarter of 2024. This is the result of the continuous efforts in controlling the quality and food safety of the Vietnamese seafood industry, meeting the strict standards of international markets, including the United States.
In 2024, Vietnam welcomed five foreign inspection delegations, including a delegation from the EU that highly appreciated the residue control system in aquaculture and honey, recognizing that Vietnam fully complied with European regulations. Delegations from Japan, Canada, South Korea and Indonesia also gave positive assessments, affirming Vietnam's position in maintaining a food safety control system. This creates a favorable premise for the seafood industry to continue to conquer the US market, where requirements on quality and traceability are increasingly tightened.
However, in addition to the achievements, the Vietnamese seafood industry is facing major challenges from the regulations of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) applied by the United States. Mr. Nguyen Hoai Nam, General Secretary of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), said that the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued a preliminary ruling not recognizing the similarity of Vietnam's marine mammal management and conservation measures for 12 seafood exploitation occupations, including gillnets, trawls, purse seines, longlines, single/double trawls... The affected seafood species include tuna (bigeye, bluefin, yellowfin, striped), swordfish, squid, grouper, mackerel, snapper, crab...
The main reason given by NOAA is that Vietnam has not fully ensured management and monitoring measures to limit the injury or unintentional capture of marine mammals, and has not issued specific regulations in accordance with US standards. NOAA requires Vietnam to provide additional evidence and progress in implementing its management plan by April 1, 2025, with a final conclusion to be announced by November 30, 2025. If the requirements are not met, seafood products from these fisheries will be banned from import into the US from January 1, 2026.
In addition, the United States also plans to expand the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP), requiring importers to provide more detailed information, increasing compliance costs. With an export turnover of 1.8 billion USD to the United States in 2024, accounting for the majority of Vietnam's total seafood turnover, the regulations of MMPA and SIMP could seriously affect this industry, threatening Vietnam's reputation and position in the international market.
The United States is a key market for seafood exports.
Mr. Nguyen Hoai Nam, General Secretary of VASEP, also proposed that the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment establish a working group chaired by the Ministry, in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Industry and Trade, to review similar registration dossiers and develop a suitable management plan before March 2025.
VASEP also proposed to negotiate with NOAA through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Vietnamese Embassy in the United States, requesting an extension of the deadline to respond to the request (instead of the deadline of April 1, 2025).
Mr. Le Ba Anh suggested that the Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Surveillance coordinate closely to maintain this achievement, while meeting increasingly stringent requirements from the United States. In addition to shrimp and pangasius, the fisheries industry needs to diversify products, develop new farming objects such as seaweed, algae, abalone, bivalve molluscs... to reduce dependence on some key products and increase export value.
In the fishing sector, although output tends to increase (reaching 551,000 tons in the first two months of 2025), a reasonable strategy is needed to reduce pressure on aquatic resources. Currently, the country has 83,024 fishing vessels, requiring strict management by region (inshore, coastal, offshore) and focusing on species that meet US standards. Conservation of aquatic resources also needs more attention, as this is a key factor to ensure the sustainable development of the industry.
For marine aquaculture, with an output of 832,000 tons and an export turnover of 800 million USD in 2024, Vietnam needs to attract large enterprises to invest systematically and promote a sustainable marine aquaculture model. This will be a strategic direction to meet the needs of the US market, which requires high-quality products with clear origins.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Phung Duc Tien emphasized that the United States is a key market, so it is necessary to prioritize immediately resolving issues related to the MMPA. At the conference on implementing tasks for the second quarter of the fisheries and fisheries control sector on March 19, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien directed units to urgently complete legal documents, standards and regulations, especially in the field of marine aquaculture, to meet the requirements of large markets such as the United States.
The Vietnamese seafood industry is facing a great opportunity to consolidate its position in the US market, but also faces many challenges from strict regulations such as MMPA and SIMP. With the consensus of management agencies, businesses and people, along with synchronous and drastic solutions, Vietnam can completely overcome difficulties, maximize its potential and turn seafood into a spearhead economic sector.
Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien emphasized: "If we unite and implement effectively, the seafood industry will reach international standards, especially in important markets like the United States."
Do Huong
Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/xuat-khau-thuy-san-sang-hoa-ky-co-hoi-va-thach-thuc-trong-boi-canh-moi-102250319170418736.htm
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