(vasep.com.vn) VASEP appreciates the opportunity to provide comments regarding the Working Group’s draft principles to determine species of fish or seafood currently subject to significant seafood fraud or because they are at significant risk of being caught by IUU fishing, as well as the draft “at risk” species list. As Vietnam is the sixth largest supplier of seafood to the United States, the Task Force and its requirements are of significant interest to VASEP and its members. Pursuant to the NOAA’s August 19, 2015 Notice, these comments are timely filed.

(vasep.com.vn) After years of negotiation, the trade deal is finally reached.

(vasep.com.vn) In the past 5 years, Vietnam tuna exports to Canada are increasingly high. Canada is one of 10 leading tuna consumers of Vietnam as well as the 14th largest tuna consumer of the world. However, so far this year, Vietnam tuna exports to the market have seen ebbs and flows.

(vasep.com.vn) Currently, Saudi Arabia is Vietnam's biggest pangasius importing market in the Middle East. Through August, pangasius exports to Saudi Arabia valued US$ 42.46 million, up 11% year on year. This market accounted for 4.2% of pangasius exported from Vietnam.

(vasep.com.vn) The UK has been a potential market as shrimp sales to the market remained high growth rates while other markets declined. Even though shrimp imports into the UK slowed down, shrimp sales from Vietnam to the market saw positive growth. The increase was owing to the UK’s rising demand for small warm-water shrimp.

(vasep.com.vn) According to Vietnam General Customs, Vietnamese companies earned a total revenue of US$ 3.922 million from cephalopod exports to the US market in the first 8 months of this year. This represents an increase of nearly 33% over the same period of 2014. The US is one of Vietnam's biggest cephalopod importing market, after South Korea, Japan, EU, ASEAN, China and Hong Kong. In August only, cephalopod exports to the US worth US$ 1.04 million, up 134.2% year-on-year.

(vasep.com.vn) In the first 8 months of 2015, total pangasius exports reached US$ 1.02 billion US dollars, down 9.1% from the same period last year. Decline has been seen in exports to the US, EU, Mexico, Brazil and Colombia.

(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam tuna exports in August 2015 continued to post a year-on-year reduction of nearly 10% to reach US$39.8 million. The figure in the first 8 months of the year hit US$303.5 million, down 7% year on year. The decline was attributable to lower demand from main importing market and year-on-year drop in global tuna price.

The U.S. National Fisheries Institute (NFI) again submits comments to the Presidential Task Force on IUU Fishing and Seafood Fraud/National Ocean Council, this time in response to the Task Force’s August 3, 2015, Federal Register Notice applying seven principles to designate 12 seafood categories as “at risk” for both IUU fishing and seafood fraud and one as “at risk” for seafood fraud. These categories, according to the Task Force’s Action Plan, will be subjected to the traceability system outlined in a similar, July 1, 2015, Federal Register Notice, which requires affected seafood businesses to continuously collect and submit for unrestricted, perpetual Federal review a minimum of 17 pieces of data for every package containing any of those items imported into the United States.

The U.S. National Fisheries Institute (NFI) again submits comments to the Presidential Task Force on IUU Fishing and Seafood Fraud/National Ocean Council, this time in response to the Task Force’s August 3, 2015, Federal Register Notice applying seven principles to designate 12 seafood categories as “at risk” for both IUU fishing and seafood fraud and one as “at risk” for seafood fraud. These categories, according to the Task Force’s Action Plan, will be subjected to the traceability system outlined in a similar, July 1, 2015, Federal Register Notice, which requires affected seafood businesses to continuously collect and submit for unrestricted, perpetual Federal review a minimum of 17 pieces of data for every package containing any of those items imported into the United States.