Catching small fish is prohibited to protect aquatic life.

Fishing boats of fishermen from Quang Ngai - Photo: TRAN MAI

Previously, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Processing and Export (Vasep) announced that it had submitted a report to the Prime Minister's Advisory Council on Administrative Procedure Reform, the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development regarding the difficulties faced by businesses due to the regulations on minimum sizes of harvested seafood stipulated in Government Decree 37-2024. Specifically, the regulations only allow the catching of skipjack tuna with a minimum length of 500mm and bony herring with a minimum length of 110mm.

Are the regulations inconsistent with international practices?

According to Mr. Truong Dinh Hoe, General Secretary of Vasep, businesses have reported that the regulations on the minimum size allowed for exploitation under Decree 37-2024 for some exploited marine species are inappropriate.

For example, with skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis), the minimum length allowed for harvesting is 500mm (equivalent to a fish weight of 5-7kg), while the international standard for this species is 1.8-3.4kg. In reality, many skipjack tuna fishing vessels in our country catch fish weighing less than 1kg, and customers prefer canned products made from smaller fish.

Citing European Union (EU) regulation 2019/1241 on conservation, Vasep stated that it also found no regulation on the minimum size of skipjack tuna, only that some species are sensitive and the minimum size varies depending on the sea area and resources in that area.

In Spain, fishing vessels still catch skipjack tuna under 1.5 kg and are still issued Certificates of Fish and Fish. Furthermore, the Central-Western Pacific Fisheries Commission does not have minimum size requirements for certain tuna species, including skipjack tuna.

For bony herring (Sardinella gibbosa), the minimum length allowed for harvesting is 110mm. However, bony herring smaller than 110mm in size are actually collected by businesses in Vietnam, accounting for about one-third of the total raw material of this species…

Vasep argues that these regulations will force fishermen to change their nets to those with the required mesh sizes, and fishing port management organizations will have to add fishing gear criteria to the inspection process for granting entry and exit permits. Meanwhile, seafood export businesses will face a severe shortage of raw materials for production and export.

Therefore, Vasep recommends reviewing the regulations on minimum harvesting sizes for some common species such as skipjack tuna, bony herring, squid, and hard-shelled shrimp.

If kidnapping children is not prohibited, the resource will be depleted.

Speaking to Tuoi Tre newspaper, Mr. Nguyen Quang Hung – Director of the Fisheries Inspection Department (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) – said that the purpose of regulating the minimum size allowed for exploitation of skipjack tuna, bony herring, Chinese squid, hard-shelled shrimp, etc., is to protect juvenile and small-sized fish, and to protect the aquatic population participating in reproduction to increase the ability of the resource to regenerate.

According to Mr. Hung, currently in the world, especially in Europe, Japan, and some countries, regulations stipulate fishing sizes to ensure moderate exploitation and maintain stocks for subsequent years. “Based on research conducted by the Institute of Marine Research over 10 years (from 2010 – 2020) and biological analysis of aquatic species, we set the size at 500mm for skipjack tuna and 110mm for bony herring because at this size, 50% of skipjack tuna and bony herring individuals are mature and reproducing for the first time,” Mr. Hung said.

Mr. Hung also emphasized that in Vietnam, the reserves and resources of aquatic products have declined sharply in recent years. The estimated reserves of marine resources in the period 2016-2020 were approximately 3.95 million tons, a decrease of 22.1% compared to the 5.07 million tons in the period 2000-2005. The main cause of this decline is identified as overfishing, especially the exploitation of juvenile and small-sized aquatic products, which account for a high proportion of the total catch.

The results of the fisheries biological survey from 2015 to 2020 also show that the level of damage to resources of economically important aquatic species is very high, occurring in all types of fishing, sea areas, and at most times of the year. During the breeding and nursery seasons of aquatic species, the rate of resource damage for some economically important species reaches absolute levels, with 100% of the catch being juvenile fish, shrimp, and squid of small size.

"If we don't regulate the permitted size for harvesting, we'll be harvesting all the juveniles and those that haven't reproduced yet, and the resources will be depleted," Mr. Hung emphasized.

What is the basis for proposing that skipjack tuna be harvested only from 500mm onwards?

Decree 37-2024 stipulates that the minimum size for catching skipjack tuna is 500mm, based on research results from the Institute of Marine Research in recent years. According to surveys, skipjack tuna in Vietnam range in length from 229 to 703mm, with the largest weighing 9.3kg. The size at maturity and for first reproduction in the offshore waters of Central and Southeastern Vietnam is 477-494mm, while in nearshore waters it is 459mm.

According to Mr. Nguyen Quang Hung, Director of the Fisheries Inspection Department, the productivity of skipjack tuna fishing has decreased significantly, from 38.7 kg/km of net in 2000 to 8.1 kg/km of net in 2018. The rate of damage to the species' resources is also high, reaching 26% in purse seine fishing and 41% in gillnet fishing. Based on these figures, the Fisheries Inspection Department has stipulated a minimum size of 500 mm, about 10% larger than the size at first spawning, equivalent to 2.63 kg.

For bony herring, the minimum size is set at 110mm. This decision is based on data showing that the length of this species ranges from 43–172mm depending on the sea region, with the mature size and first reproductive stage being around 107mm.

These regulations aim to protect aquatic resources, especially immature and non-reproductive individuals, towards a sustainable and responsible fisheries industry.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/cam-bat-ca-nho-de-bao-ve-thuy-san-20240711230805078.htm