According to assessment of Department of Capture Fisheries and Resources Protection (DECAFIREP), with efforts of localities, enterprises, farmers and relevant agencies, Vietnam fishery industry gradually meets requirements of IUU fishing (a regulation on preventing, detering and eliminating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing).
During the first six months of 2010, when seafood exporters to EU were obligated to apply new regulations, Vietnam seafood exports to the market decreased remarkably with 9 percent in volume and 11 percent in value on those of the same period of 2009.
However, for the second half of 2010, Vietnam seafood export had made an impressive progress, contributed significantly into the total seafood export volume of the country to EU in 2010. In 2010, seafood exports to EU reached 103.5 thousand MT, worth US$376.2 million, up 8.8 percent in volume and 11.4 percent in value on those of 2009.
In the first four months of 2011, seafood exports to EU gained considerable outcomes: Up 0.9 percent in volume and 22.2 percent in value in which marine fish exports reached 31.9 thousand MT, worth US$124.5 million, up 14 percent in volume and 25 percent in value compared with those of the same period of 2010.
Of marine fish items exported to EU, exports of many items reached double and triple growth such as dried finfish (code 0305, except for tuna and pangasius) up 351.5 percent; processed crab, swimming crab and other processed crustaceans (code 16) up 200 percent; processed mollusk (code 160590, except for cephalopods) up 171.6 percent; processed and canned shrimp (code 16) up 144.7 percent; crab, swimming crab and other crustaceans (code 03 and 16) up 112 percent compared with those of the same period of 2010.
After more than one year of applying EU new regulations, Vietnam fishery industry has achieved certain results thank to good cooperation among authorities, exporters and fishermen. None of seafood consignment to EU was refused. According to DECAFIREP, to the end of April 2011, 21 among 28 coastal provinces and cities obeyed regulations on certification of caught marine fish (mainly squid, shrimp, crab, swimming crab and tuna) exported to EU. Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers – VASEP in cooperation with DECAFIREP held a lot of training courses on guiding seafood exporters about the certificate of caught marine fish in accordance with Circular 28/2011/TT-BNNPTNT. The Circular regulates the certificate of caught marine fish to EU.
However, the new IUU regulation still causes difficulties to many local seafood exporters. Fishermen are not completely aware of IUU, raw materials are collected from different suppliers in localities. Vietnam seafood exporters also meet language differences when they follow procedures for obtaining the certification of their products exported to EU members such as France, Italy, Spain.