As the United States tightens requirements under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), Vietnam’s central province of Ha Tinh is ramping up monitoring and management of its fisheries to ensure traceability and sustain seafood exports to this key market.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE), the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently denied recognition of 12 Vietnamese fishing methods for failing to meet MMPA standards. Related products, including tuna, swordfish, mackerel, scad, grouper, mullet, crab and squid, risk suspension from import into the US starting January 1, 2026. This poses a major challenge for Vietnam’s fishing and seafood export sector, as the US remains one of the country’s largest seafood markets.
In response, the MAE has directed local authorities to promptly inform fishermen and seafood companies, strengthen awareness campaigns, tighten inspections, and update fishing data, especially information concerning marine mammals. These efforts will form the basis for Vietnam’s request for the US to reconsider its import restriction decision and help maintain market stability.
In Ha Tinh, local agencies have stepped up control over fishing, purchasing, and trading activities, requiring logbook submissions and clear traceability documentation. Port authorities have increased the frequency of vessel inspections and monitoring. Fishermen have gradually developed habits of reporting and keeping voyage logs, as well as complying with vessel monitoring requirements.
“We always keep our vessel tracking devices on, maintain detailed logs, and strictly avoid catching banned species,” said Pham Van Huan, a fisherman from Loc Ha commune.
According to Than Quoc Te, Deputy Director of the Ha Tinh Fisheries Port and Storm Shelter Management Board, the province has supervised 890 metric tons of seafood passing through local ports since early 2025, received nearly 5,000 fishing logbooks, and implemented the electronic catch documentation and traceability (eCDT) system. “Although no local company has yet conducted direct seafood exports, port monitoring and management remain a key task to ensure transparency and traceability,” he noted.
The Ha Tinh People’s Committee has also instructed local authorities to publicize NOAA’s non-recognition decision under the MMPA and strictly enforce MAE’s directives on protecting marine resources and marine mammals.
Nguyen Viet Hung, Deputy Head of Ha Tinh’s Fisheries Exploitation Division, said the province is prioritizing transparency in traceability from fishing vessels to ports and processing facilities. “We are advising a restructuring of fishing practices to reduce methods that may impact marine mammals, such as gillnetting and trawling, while promoting training on marine mammal rescue and mitigation measures to avoid dolphin and whale interactions,” Hung said.
Ha Tinh’s fisheries sector is also encouraging fishermen to adopt electronic logbooks and record all catch data, particularly sightings of marine mammals. Local authorities have been tasked with continuing outreach efforts to help fishermen voluntarily apply deterrent measures that prevent harm to marine mammals, underscoring Vietnam’s commitment to biodiversity protection and sustainable fisheries development.
VFM
