Vietnam urges US to reconsider denial of comparability findings for 12 fisheries

According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), NOAA notified Vietnam’s Directorate of Fisheries of the decision on August 26 and said imports from the affected fisheries will be banned starting January 1, 2026.

The ban, based on the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act, would hit major Vietnamese exports such as tuna, swordfish, groupers, mackerel, mullet, crabs, squid, and scad.

In its official report, NOAA said NOAA Fisheries is denying comparability findings for twelve Vietnamese export fisheries, including gill nets, purse seines, trawls, and longline fisheries, because Vietnam has not demonstrated the implementation of regulatory programs comparable in effectiveness to the U.S. regulatory program to address marine mammal bycatch.

Vietnam has made progress in modernizing its fisheries management, but significant gaps remain in monitoring, reporting, and mitigation of marine mammal interactions across these fisheries, it commented.

In response, Minister Dien has sent a letter to U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick urging the Department of Commerce and NOAA to reconsider the ruling, warning that without a review, the measure could severely disrupt bilateral trade and threaten the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese fishermen and workers.

Dien stressed that the decision would harm not only Vietnamese producers, exporters, and fishermen but also U.S. importers, workers, and consumers.

As Vietnam and the U.S. deepen their comprehensive strategic partnership, Vietnam continues to view the U.S. as a key trading partner, fostering favorable conditions for American businesses while remaining committed to addressing outstanding issues constructively, he added.

VASEP warned that the ruling puts Vietnam at a ‘double disadvantage,’ as competitors such as Thailand, India, and Japan have already received equivalence recognition, allowing them to more easily maintain and expand their share of the U.S. market.

According to VASEP, the economic loss could reach $500 million a year, roughly equal to the total export value of the affected products to the U.S. in 2024, which stood at $511.5 million.

Tuna, the largest single export item, faces the risk of losing its entire U.S. market, valued at $387 million last year, while crabs, squid, groupers, mackerel, and swordfish are also expected to be severely affected.

In a recent dispatch to relevant agencies, VASEP called on the government and ministries to implement urgent short- and long-term measures to protect seafood exporters, ease challenges, and secure stable access to the U.S. market.

The association noted that Vietnam’s seafood industry has in recent years collaborated with the government and local authorities to strengthen fisheries management, including adopting ‘dolphin-safe’ certification for tuna exports and broader measures to protect marine mammals.

It added that the industry also complies with international regulations against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and participates in programs such as the Seafood Import Monitoring Program and the Fishery Improvement Project for crabs and tuna.