Tightening enforcement of the Marine Mammal Protection Act

(Baohatinh.vn) - Ha Tinh is strengthening the implementation of legal regulations in exploiting and protecting aquatic resources, especially regulations on protecting marine mammals.

According to information from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MARD), the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has recently refused to recognize 12 seafood exploitation occupations of Vietnam because they do not meet the regulations of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). Seafood exploited by these occupations are at risk of being temporarily suspended from import into the US market from January 1, 2026, including many key export products such as tuna, swordfish, grouper, mackerel, mullet, crab, squid, mackerel, etc.

This is a big challenge for the seafood exploitation and export industry because the US is currently one of the key markets, accounting for a high proportion of the country's total seafood export turnover.

Recently, Ha Tinh has focused on propaganda work against illegal fishing.

12 groups of seafood exploitation occupations were refused recognition, including: 1/ Drift nets, trap nets (bottom layer), single/double trawls (bottom layer) for grouper fishing; 2/ Drift nets and trap nets (bottom layer); Single/double trawls (bottom layer); fixed trap/net (bottom layer) for crab fishing; 3/ Drift nets and trap nets (unspecified), longline (bottom layer), single/double trawls (bottom layer) for squid, groundfish, flounder, grouper, mullet, snapper fishing; 4/ Drift nets and trap nets (top layer), longline (top layer) for dolphin fishing; 5/ Drift nets and trap nets (bottom layer) for lobster fishing; 6 and 7/ Drift nets and trap nets (top layer), purse seine (top layer) for mackerel fishing; 8/ Drift nets and traps (bottom layer) for catching mullet; 9/ Drift nets and traps (middle layer) for catching mackerel; 10/ Drift nets and traps (top layer) for catching pelagic fish and tuna; 11/ Drift nets and traps (middle layer), purse seine (surface layer) for catching bigeye tuna, skipjack tuna, yellowfin tuna; 12/ Drift nets and traps (middle layer), hand-line/pole-line (middle layer) for catching swordfish; various types of sailfish, sailfish, etc.

In this situation, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has issued a document requesting localities to urgently inform fishermen and businesses, and at the same time strengthen propaganda, monitoring and management of fishing activities. Units need to fully update data on fishing, especially information related to marine mammals (such as encounters, unintentional fishing or rescue of marine mammals in the locality). This is an important source of data for Vietnam to have a basis to request the United States to reconsider the decision to temporarily suspend the import of some of our country's seafood products, contributing to maintaining a stable export market.

At Ha Tinh fishing ports, fishing vessel management and supervision are strictly implemented.

Implementing the direction of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the Departments, branches and localities in Ha Tinh have strengthened inspection and control of exploitation, purchase and consumption of aquatic products; strictly implemented the submission of logs, exploitation reports and product traceability, ensuring clear and transparent information.

At fishing ports, the management and monitoring of fishing vessels is being strengthened. Mr. Pham Van Huan (a fisherman in Loc Ha commune) shared: "Now we fishermen have formed the habit of declaring and reporting back. During the fishing process, the vessel always turns on the journey monitoring device until returning to shore; at the same time, it records a full and clear fishing log and absolutely does not exploit or transport prohibited seafood."

In addition to fishermen's awareness, fishing port management units in the area also strictly carry out inspection and supervision work, ensuring proper operation and full data update. Mr. Than Quoc Te - Deputy Director of the Board of Management of Fishing Ports and Fishing Boat Storm Shelters in Ha Tinh said: "Currently, in the province, there are no organizations or individuals carrying out procedures for exporting seafood to foreign markets. However, the Board still identifies management and supervision at fishing ports as a key task to ensure transparency, traceability and compliance with legal regulations".

From the beginning of 2025 up to now, the Management Board of Fishing Ports and Fishing Boat Storm Shelter Areas of Ha Tinh has monitored 890 tons of aquatic products passing through the port (reaching 100%) and collected 4,956 fishing logs/reports.

"From the beginning of 2025 to now, the Board has monitored 890 tons of aquatic products through the port (reaching 100%) and collected 4,956 logbooks/exploitation reports. Fishing ports in the province are equipped with computers, tablets, and internet connections to serve the eCDT system. The Management Board also guides fishermen and businesses to electronically trace exploited aquatic products, ensuring full approval of port entry and exit procedures, submission of logbooks, records of loading and unloading output, issuance of receipts, confirmation of raw materials and certification of aquatic product origin through the eCDT system," Mr. Te added.

Fishermen voluntarily surrender their destructive fishing gear.

Recently, the People's Committee of Ha Tinh province issued a document directing departments, branches, and People's Committees of communes and wards with fishing vessels to widely announce the results of the assessment of non-recognition of equivalence under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) to organizations and individuals operating in the field of fisheries exploitation, so that they can promptly grasp and proactively have appropriate solutions. At the same time, relevant units continue to strictly carry out tasks according to the direction and guidance in Document No. 7064/BNNMT-TSKN dated September 24, 2025 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, on strengthening the implementation of legal regulations in the exploitation and protection of aquatic resources, especially regulations on the protection of marine mammals.

A school of dolphins caught in the net of fishermen in Cuong Gian commune (now Co Dam commune) while exploiting seafood was released back into the sea in March 2024.

Mr. Nguyen Viet Hung - Deputy Head of Fisheries Exploitation Department (Ha Tinh Fisheries Sub-Department) said: “Along with the fisheries sector of the whole country, Ha Tinh is focusing on strictly implementing the work of tracing the origin of aquatic products to ensure clarity and transparency from fishing vessels, fishing ports, processing facilities to export, all shipments for export have full information on origin and exploitation methods; advising on restructuring the fisheries sector towards reducing the proportion of occupations that have a great impact on marine mammals such as: gillnets, trawls. Organizing and integrating activities to disseminate laws, instruct on regulations on protection and conservation of marine mammals, marine mammal rescue skills, raising awareness and responsibility of organizations and individuals in the management and conservation of marine mammals.

At the same time, guide fishermen to record and submit fishing logs, encourage fishermen to use electronic fishing logs to fully and accurately record fishing activities, especially fully record information about marine animals encountered during activities. Localities should propagate for fishermen to proactively apply measures to chase away or avoid interactions with dolphins and whales during fishing, especially for vessels operating in purse seine, gillnet, trawl and line fishing.

The province's seafood products mainly serve the domestic market.

The Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) was passed by the US Congress in 1972 to protect marine mammals from the threat of decline or extinction due to human fishing activities.

In response to requests from the US, from 2019 to present, Vietnam has implemented many contents such as: providing information on Vietnam's fisheries as requested by NOAA; submitting equivalent assessment reports and updating additional information as requested (first time in 2019, second time in 2021, third time in 2022, fourth time in 2025); amending and supplementing a number of regulations on marine mammal conservation in legal documents; advising on the issuance of a plan for marine mammal management and conservation for the period 2024 - 2028; a plan to reduce unintentional exploitation of marine mammals in Vietnam; an annual monitoring program on fishing vessels; organizing propaganda and dissemination of regulations on marine mammal protection to relevant organizations and individuals.

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/siet-chat-thuc-thi-dao-luat-bao-ve-dong-vat-co-vu-bien-post297040.html