(vasep.com.vn) High global demand for seafood and unsustainable fishing methods are dwindling aquatic resources. Destructive fishing methods, which are still rampant in some parts of the Asia Pacific, are rapidly destroying coral reef ecosystems.
Without urgent measures from fishing companies, seafood importers, and consumers, fish stocks will continue to decline and we may not have enough fish resources left in the near future to secure food and the livelihoods of those in the industry, said a representative of Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) in Vietnam.
As a part of the effort to foster sustainable aquaculture, WWF has been working with some private and public sectors to help improve fishing practices through fisheries and aquaculture improvement projects. The aim is to help fishery industry adopt better management practices, and assisting them to eventually attain the certification of Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC).
WWF helped the clam farming sector in Ben Tre province to be the first in Southeast Asia to get MSC certification in 2009. Certified clam’s selling price of the locality have increased by 50 percent.
With the WWF’s support for Vietnam pangasius, 10 percent of Vietnam’s total pangasius production in 2012 was granted ASC certification. By the end of this year, it is expected that the figure will increase to 15 percent.
In order to raise people’s awareness of the issue, a sustainable seafood partnership between WWF in Vietnam and Restaurant Bobby Chinn was launched. Under the partnership, Bobby Chinn introduced a “responsible seafood menu” at the restaurant, consisting of dishes using responsibly-sourced products from producers that comply with best management practices. Apart from seafood sector, sustainable production chain is expected to be applied to other industries, Tran Thi Thu Nga, Chairwoman of Ben Tre Fisheries Association said.
She added that the government should issue policies to help increase MSC-certified clams, strengthen the development of a sustainable clam supply chain, increase support to localities that pursue MSC certificate and lower fees to get certification.