“The government should ensure sustainability in our seas so that tuna fisheries can continue, securing the livelihood of millions of fisherfolk,” said Mark Dia, Regional Oceans Campaigner for Greenpeace Southeast Asia.
Speaking at the 15th Tuna Congress currently happening in the country’s tuna capital, Dia said that “instead of pursuing ever-increasing tuna catches and opening up new fishing grounds, the Philippine government needs to direct its support to shift the tuna industry and prop up existing sustainable methods in catching tuna.”
Scientists have long called for further protection of the region’s valuable bigeye and yellow fin tuna stocks. Unless measures are taken, such as reducing the catches of juvenile tuna caught by using purse seine nets with fish aggregation devices (FAD) the stocks will continue to drop.
Bigeye and yellowfin tuna need at least two to three years to grow to maturity, so if most of the catch is juvenile tuna, fish stocks will not be able to replenish themselves. The decline in these fish stocks is already hurting longline and handline fleets. Evidence of this is already clear in the traditional tuna fishing areas south of Mindanao where tuna is getting smaller and harder to catch.
“Without strong action to stop overfishing and overcapacity in the fleets, which means that there are already many boats catching fish, fishing companies as well as coastal communities will suffer huge losses as the stocks decline and fleets will be forced to move elsewhere,” said Sari Tolvanen, Oceans Campaigner for Greenpeace International.
Tolvanen added, “a precautionary approach must be taken now, before it is too late. The problem is that efforts at fisheries management have fallen short of what is required.”
The Alliance of Tuna Handliners echoed Greenpeace’s concern about current unsustainable fishing practices that jeopardize the future of the industry. “Our livelihoods are already threatened. The hook and line tuna industry is being sacrificed for canned tuna,” said Raul Gonzales, spokesperson for the group.
“Therefore, we ask that the government act now to ensure that juvenile tuna catches in the purse seine fisheries are reduced. Urgent reduction in excess purse seine fishing capacity must also be implemented.”
The problem of big eye tuna overfishing were discussed at the recently concluded Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission workshop (WCPFC) held in Japan, of which the Philippines is a member. A proposal to extend the FAD ban in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean from the current 4 months to at least 5 months has been broadly agreed, but the Philippines has said that it wants to be exempted from having to further restrict FAD use.
“Instead of continuously trying to seek exceptions to conservation measures, the Philippines should instead work more closely with the rest of the Pacific region and help put in place strong science based management measures that can help stop overfishing,” stressed Dia.
Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning organization that acts to change attitudes and behavior, to protect and conserve the environment and to promote peace.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Khanh Hoa Provincial Agricultural Extension Center, in collaboration with the Northern Center for Marine Aquaculture Research and the Van Hung Public Service Center, recently organized a training course on disease-free golden pompano seed production. The program is part of a National Agricultural Extension Project aimed at developing industrial-scale seed production models to support sustainable marine aquaculture.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s pangasius exports have shown encouraging signs of recovery in 2026. In the first four months of the year, total export turnover reached USD 720 million, up 17% compared to the same period last year. This result reflects improving demand across many markets, as well as the efforts of Vietnamese pangasius enterprises to maintain production, secure orders, and adapt to changing market conditions.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The application of high technology in shrimp farming is delivering positive results in the coastal areas of Vinh Long Province, contributing to improved production efficiency and creating significant potential for further industry expansion. However, to fully capitalize on this potential, the province is focusing on aquaculture zoning, infrastructure investment, and promoting modern, sustainable production.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Đồng Tháp Province has intensified efforts to curb illegal fishing by strengthening vessel monitoring, law enforcement and seafood traceability.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Seafood businesses need solutions to overcome bottlenecks such as labor shortages, difficulty accessing capital, high input costs, and administrative procedures in order to maintain production, adapt to market fluctuations, and effectively exploit export opportunities.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The FTA would widen access to markets with strong demand for premium food products in line with the country’s strategy of shifting exports towards increasing added value.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On the morning of July 13th, Mr. Ho Quoc Dung, Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam and Deputy Prime Minister, along with his delegation, visited and worked with businesses in An Giang province to promptly resolve obstacles and promote production and business activities.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) As importing markets increasingly focus on biosecurity and traceability, Vietnam has established a relatively comprehensive legal framework and disease management system for aquaculture, covering tilapia farming as well as other cultured species. This system is based on the Law on Animal Health, regulations on the prevention and control of aquatic animal diseases, the National Plan for the Prevention and Control of Major Diseases in Farmed Aquatic Species, and environmental monitoring and early warning programs for aquaculture areas.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On July 9, 2026, the Embassy of Vietnam in Brazil organized the seminar titled “Sharing Information on Vietnam-Brazil Economic, Trade and Investment Relations in the First Half of 2026” to provide updates on bilateral cooperation and strengthen connections among government agencies, industry associations, and business communities of the two countries.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Seafood exports in the first 6 months of the year continued to be a bright spot with a total turnover of 5.7 billion USD, an increase of 11.4% compared to the same period last year. By commodity group, seafood is one of the three groups with a trade balance in the first 6 months of 2026 in a surplus state with 4.13 billion USD, an increase of 17%.
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