Hands-on approach makes Vietnamese clam fishery a sustainable success

It’s early morning out on the mudflats of Bến Tre in southern Vietnam and the tide is receding. Fishers begin to arrive on small boats along the Mekong Delta’s estuaries. There are local men and women of all ages. All with a common goal. To pluck small ivory shells by hand from the wet sand. They fill up plastic baskets, shaking them often in the shallows, before tipping their “white gold” into large mesh sacks.

These fishers have no fishing lines, but they have grown skilled in their picking, aided by a rake. Clams are burrowed just a few centimeters beneath the sand among snails, crabs and mussels. “This method is highly selective, arguably among the best in the world,” says Đinh Xuân Nọc, Deputy Director of the Center for International Cooperation in Sustainable Aquaculture and Fisheries.

"People only harvest clams that have reached the legal market size, and smaller clams are left to grow. In addition, fishers leave about 20% of clams on the beds to maintain the population and serve as broodstock (mature shellfish kept for breeding)."

Timing and technique

Clam-flat ecosystems are highly sensitive and shallow. If conditions aren’t stable, clams can’t reproduce. Vitally, harvesting is managed as a community practice and is guided by science. Seasons are restricted, and harvesting takes place at low tides within an area marked by flags often peaking around full and new moons. “In the past, people would harvest at any time, but now we only do it when the tide is right, so the clams are easier to collect,” says Nguyễn Quốc Trũng, Executive Director of the Đà Đông Cooperative, who at 69 years old, still walks 5km on the clam beds every day.

So far, fisheries have resisted the sort of technological advances and mechanisation common across the sector. "We can’t use machines, even though it would be cheaper and more efficient,” adds Quốc Trũng. "But it’s not good for the environment. Hand harvesting is more sustainable. We’ve learned from years of experience that it’s better. If you used machines, you’d take everything, destroy the environment, and there’d be nothing left to breed. The clam population would collapse."

A local lifeline

The clam industry has a long history here, going back to the resistance against the French, and then later during the war with America, when the government organised small-scale farming among groups of local people to protect the clams.

Today's well-run fishery began to take shape in 1997 when the cooperative was formed putting local people at the heart of the fishery. "This cooperative was set up properly under the bylaws and follows community principles – everyone participates; local people must be the primary actors," says Mr Cao Văn Viết, Chairman of the Bến Tre Fisheries Association.

"In the past, we'd just harvest and sell as we liked, sometimes even giving clams away. But after getting certified, the price of clams went up, and we could sell to more markets. This improved the local economy and social welfare," says Quốc Trũng. "It’s a sustainable model because, when it operates, it protects the environment, safeguards resources, and secures the livelihoods of participants."

Having a ticket to gather a quota of clams is a lifeline for many families. "In addition to wages, we receive profit distributions. Together, those two sources keep our household income stable and we can support ourselves and our family," says Ms Phan Thị Thùy Linh, a Member of the Rang Đông Fisheries Cooperative.

Mangroves and migratory birds

Maintaining the excellent natural conditions of the coastline and tidal flats for clam fishing is a key component of the fishery’s management. Taking care to minimise impact on the marine environment is a core principle of the Marine Stewardship Council’s Standard – the fishery was certified to the MSC Standard for the third time in late 2023.

"Right now, the biggest challenge is environmental: if it’s unstable, clams won’t reproduce and people won’t have income. That’s what folks here worry about most," says Thùy Linh.

To protect its resources, the fishery has been planting mangroves along the Ba Lai River, which helps to stabilise the environment, buffers waves and wind, and provides nutrients for clams.

Clams are filter feeders, so they help keep the water clean and create good living conditions for other species. Healthy numbers of migratory birds returning are a sign that the environment is functioning well. "They help deal with the natural predators that could affect the clams," says Mr Văn Viết.

Everyone understands the cooperative’s clam beds are the community’s main livelihood, so they all share responsibility to protect the environment and wildlife. Local people will send away illegal fishers or hunters and if necessary, inform the regional government to take action. "We try to prevent theft," says Thùy Linh. "If boats come in to fish on the flats, we advise them to fish farther offshore, so the beds stay stable, and the clams grow well."

Facing the future

Once a serious problem, illegal harvesting has been further eliminated through a combination of community-led initiatives such as the introduction of a fisher ID card system, and the use of security guards and viewing platforms to monitor activity.

"We have to keep changing and improving management. We’re also thinking about buying cameras to monitor the beds. It’s a combination of working with local and national authorities to protect the resources." Quốc Trũng.

However, rises in sea temperatures, saltwater intrusion and off-season storms are recognised factors contributing to stress on clam resources in Vietnam. According to Đinh Xuân Nọc and the Trà Vinh Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, clam productivity is declining in the coastal provinces of the Mekong Delta. "The average clam size is smaller and resilience is weaker," says Đinh Xuân Nọc. Both domestic and international markets prefer larger clams. "A well protected environment like Bến Tre’s is extremely valuable; it preserves pure broodstock for the Mekong Delta and for Vietnam more broadly."

Mr Văn Viết remains optimistic about the future: "I hope, building on the foundation in Bến Tre and Trà Vinh, we can expand MSC certified clam areas and increase protected zones, bringing more value to communities and to the country."

Photography by Saigon Laca