VASEP sends urgent dispatch to ministries and sectors after US seafood ruling

(Dan Tri) - Facing the risk of losing the US market with 12 important seafood species, VASEP has sent a dispatch to ministries and branches requesting to "rescue" the Vietnamese seafood industry.

Recently, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the US Department of Commerce sent a letter to the Department of Fisheries and Fisheries ( Ministry of Agriculture and Environment ) announcing its refusal to recognize the equivalence of 12 Vietnamese seafood exploitation occupations under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).

Seafood businesses shocked by US ruling

Accordingly, NOAA recognized 14 fisheries, including squid, anchovies, purse seine herring, bigeye tuna, yellowfin tuna, skipjack tuna, mackerel... However, 12 other fisheries that do not meet the equivalent standards will be suspended from being imported into the US from January 1, 2026, including many of Vietnam's main seafood exports to the US such as tuna, swordfish, grouper, mackerel, mullet, crab, squid, mackerel...

The above are key export products to the US, especially tuna - an item expected to reach nearly 1 billion USD in 2024, of which 387 million USD will come from the US market.

Not only that, among the 89 countries recognized as fully equivalent, there are many direct competitors of Vietnam such as India, Thailand, Spain or Japan. Vietnam is in the group of 34 countries that are only partially recognized, along with other important raw material suppliers such as China, Indonesia, the Philippines or South Korea.

Tuna - an export item worth nearly 1 billion USD per year to the US market (Photo: VASEP).

If not removed, from January 1, 2026, most Vietnamese seafood will be banned from entering the US, leading to the risk of losing hundreds of millions of USD, severely affecting fishermen, processing plants and the entire seafood industry.

Mr. Nguyen Hoai Nam, Deputy General Secretary of VASEP, said that NOAA's announcement of rejecting equivalence for 12 fishing occupations in Vietnam is creating a shock, greatly affecting the seafood exploitation industry, the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of fishermen, the production and business activities of hundreds of seafood enterprises and the growth target of the seafood industry.

This incident requires urgent and long-term coordinated measures from the Government and relevant ministries and agencies to support and accompany the seafood exploitation industry to overcome, remove obstacles and open up the US market for seafood exploitation products, to minimize the impact or avoid the risk of stopping exports from January 1, 2026.

After meetings with businesses, VASEP recorded and summarized important contents, and sent reports and recommendations on some contents to the leaders of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Prime Minister's Advisory Council for Administrative Procedure Reform.

VASEP sends urgent dispatch asking ministries and branches to take action

In a report sent to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, VASEP requested that the Ministry report to the Prime Minister and request that the Prime Minister assign the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to seek and preside over hiring American consultants to support Vietnam in carrying out necessary work, in order to solve both technical issues and advocacy work in the US.

Vietnamese tuna products are at risk of facing more difficulties in the US market (Photo: VASEP).

This unit also proposed that the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment chair the establishment of an interdisciplinary working group, with the participation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and industry associations, to comprehensively review fisheries records and develop a comprehensive response plan to NOAA's ruling.

In addition, review and complete regulations and policies on fisheries management, especially issues related to monitoring and reporting on accidental capture of marine mammals, to prepare technical contents to meet NOAA's requirements stated in the official letter dated August 26, 2025 to the Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Surveillance. This is to prepare for the request for re-evaluation after January 1, 2026.

VASEP also requested the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to discuss and request NOAA to clarify and provide specific guidance on many issues related to documents, certificates, mechanisms, deadlines, and product categories that the industry and business community are very interested in and confused about.

In the long term, to cope with the risk of being banned from exporting seafood to the US, VASEP and businesses in the industry believe that Vietnam needs to promote international cooperation, seek technical support from the US as well as international organizations in monitoring and conserving marine animals.

In addition, investment in upgrading monitoring systems, databases, and equipment to minimize accidental capture of marine animals, while improving the capacity of monitoring and enforcement officers, is an urgent requirement.

Equally important, VASEP emphasized the need to strengthen propaganda and organize training courses for fishermen, helping them understand preventive measures and minimize the accidental capture of marine animals during exploitation. This is considered a parallel solution to both protect marine resources and meet strict requirements from the US, preserving the export market worth hundreds of millions of USD each year.

The association also recommended that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs direct the Vietnamese Embassy in the US to hire a consultant to support this important content.

In addition, VASEP recommends organizing advocacy through diplomatic channels, the government, associations and US importers to request the US side to consider equivalent dossiers that Vietnam will supplement, provide technical support and allow a transition mechanism or mitigate the impact on Vietnam's key seafood species, and integrate this content into bilateral dialogue mechanisms of the two countries.

Thanks to the Ministry of Industry and Trade for supporting in finding alternative markets

In the report and recommendation to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, VASEP requested that the Ministry coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and organize campaigns through various channels to request the US to consider equivalent dossiers that Vietnam will supplement, provide technical support and allow a transition mechanism or mitigate impacts on Vietnam's key seafood species.

Thanks to the Ministry of Industry and Trade for supporting the Association and seafood businesses in expanding their connections with customers in the US as well as finding alternative markets and diversifying suitable raw material supply sources to minimize the impact of export disruptions.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/kinh-doanh/vasep-gui-cong-van-khan-cho-cac-bo-nganh-sau-phan-quyet-ve-hai-san-cua-my-20250913154419915.htm