Socialist Republic of Vietnam seeks sustainable seafood market
11 July 2007
The Ben Tre clam fishery of Vietnam is the first fishery in South East Asia to seek assessment against the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) environmental standard for well-managed and sustainable fisheries.
The fishery - which sells its hand-picked clams to domestic markets and exports to Europe, Japan, China and Taiwan - will now be assessed by an independent expert team to establish whether it meets the MSC’s Principles & Criteria for Sustainable Fishing. If successful, the fishery can apply to display the blue MSC eco-label, and join the growing global market for certified sustainable fish and seafood.
In total, four million tonnes of the world’s wild edible fish catch (approximately seven percent) is engaged in the MSC certification programme, and the MSC eco-label is displayed on more than 700 fish products in 28 countries.
What the Ben Tre Department of Fisheries says
Tran Thi Thu Nga, Vice Director of the Ben Tre Department of Fisheries, comments: “Certification to the MSC standard would signal to consumers that clams from the Ben Tre fishery are harvested in a sustainable manner. The MSC assessment process will help Ben Tre fishermen understand the issues of sustainable exploitation, habitat security as well as environmental and ecosystem protection. We hope MSC certification will provide opportunities to expand the markets for our clams. At the same time, people’s knowledge about protecting fish resources, habitats and the environment, mollusc traceability and the living conditions of the poor coastal residents will be improved.”
What the MSC says
MSC Chief Executive Rupert Howes welcomed the announcement: “We are delighted to see the Ben Tre clam fishery move into full assessment against the MSC standard. The government of Vietnam and the MSC signed a Memorandum of Understanding in May 2005 declaring their joint objective of bringing Vietnamese fisheries into the MSC certification programme. We hope that more fisheries from this important seafood exporting country will follow the example of Ben Tre.”
What the WWF says
Keith Symington, Marine Programme Coordinator at WWF Vietnam, and Meredith Lopuch, Director-Community Fisheries Program at WWF United States, added: “Together with industry and government we have identified several other community-based fisheries that might be ready for an assessment to the MSC standard. Sustainability has moved higher on people’s agenda as a direct result of our dialogues about MSC and this shift towards eco-certification is reflected in Vietnam’s overall market-driven transformation.“
“Seafood processors and retailers in Europe and elsewhere increasingly demand strong environmental credentials from their suppliers. Certification to the MSC standard would give Asian fisheries this preferred supplier status and help them secure their future”, says Duncan Leadbitter, Regional Director Asia Pacific at the MSC.
The certifier
In 2005, the Ben Tre clam fishery harvested just over 9,500 tonnes. Accredited certifier Moody Marine will lead the assessment to the MSC standard. The Ben Tre People’s Committee Department of Fisheries, WWF Greater Mekong and WWF’s Community Fisheries Program applied for the fishery to be assessed against the MSC standard and will thus be acting as joint clients during the fishery’s assessment.
Further information
For any media inquiries please contact media@msc.org.
