Seafood exports at risk in the US market

According to its recent preliminary ruling,  the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), under the Department of Commerce,  does not recognize the similarity of Vietnam's marine mammal management and conservation measures for 12 seafood exploitation occupations, including gillnets, trawls, purse seines, longlines, and single/double trawls, among others. 

Accordingly, the affected seafood species include tuna (bigeye, bluefin, yellowfin, striped), swordfish, squid, grouper, mackerel, snapper, and crab.

At a March 19 meeting of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, Mr. Nguyen Hoai Nam, Deputy Secretary-General of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), reported that VASEP had received notification from the NOAA regarding the implementation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).

The ruling is expected to directly impact the export of several seafood species to the US in the near future, according to Mr. Nam.

NOAA's decision stems from a lack of assurance that Vietnam is implementing sufficient management and monitoring measures to limit injuries and unintentional captures of marine mammals, as required by US regulations, he remarked.

The US noted that while Vietnam has planned some monitoring activities, it has not yet enacted specific regulations to address these concerns, according to him.

Additionally, the US plans to expand the Seafood Import Monitoring Program to include more seafood species, alongside increased information requirements from importers. These changes are anticipated to raise compliance costs for exporters.

"The United States is an important and the largest market for Vietnamese seafood, with seafood import turnover reaching $1.8 billion in 2024. If this issue is not resolved promptly, it will seriously affect Vietnam's seafood exports to the US and harm the industry's reputation," Mr. Nam warned.

"NOAA requires Vietnam to urgently provide evidence and demonstrate progress in implementing a management plan for harvesting practices that align with US regulations by April 1, 2025. NOAA will release its final decision by November 30, 2025. If harvesting practices do not meet the requitements from the United States, seafood products originating from those practices will be banned from exporting to the US, starting January 1, 2026," he added.

In the first two months of this year, Vietnam’s seafood exports to the United States totaled $193 million, accounting for 13.8% of the country’s total seafood export turnover in the period.