The responsibility of the coast toward the sea is immense

Fisheries are one of the four most important sectors of the marine economy

Under Resolution 09-NQ/TW dated February 9, 2007, on Vietnam’s Marine Strategy to 2020, the fisheries sector (including both capture and processing) was officially classified among the key marine economic sectors, alongside oil and gas exploitation and processing, maritime economy, and marine tourism and island economy.

Some time later, tourism was identified as a spearhead sector, and the ranking order was no longer explicitly emphasized. Nevertheless, fisheries remain one of the four critical sectors of the marine economy.

"Fisheries deserve to be recognized as a major and advanced sector in our country, but it goes beyond that, this is also an economic and technical field."

Dr. Ta Quang Ngoc, Former Minister of Fisheries.

Over the past decade, tourism, including marine tourism, has grown strongly. It is closely tied to promoting the country’s natural and historical values, which are rich in cultural elements. This sector has effectively leveraged its advantages to generate significant economic value, contributing to the transformation of the labor structure along coastal and island areas.

The oil and gas sector is also highly important, generating substantial economic value. However, it relies on non-renewable fossil resources. In the context of the stringent green transition agenda, fossil energy faces major challenges. Nevertheless, the demand for oil and gas products remains high, and international oil and gas trade continues to be active.

Maritime transport, or the maritime economy, is now perceived quite differently than in the past. It is no longer just about shipbuilding or shipping routes; greater emphasis is placed on the role of logistics within an integrated market economy. This includes operations from the coast to the sea and from Vietnam to the world, playing a crucial role in global supply chains as well as in specific industries. As a result, maritime transport not only enhances connectivity between countries on a broader scale but also integrates closely with other modes of transport such as road, rail, and air.

By the time of Resolution 36-NQ/TW in 2018, issued by the Central Committee on the Sustainable Development Strategy for Vietnam’s Marine Economy to 2030, with a vision to 2045, the strategy had been refined following a ten-year review of the previous national maritime strategy to 2020. The scope shifted from a comprehensive maritime strategy to one focused on sustainable marine economic development. This reflects a narrower, deeper approach emphasizing sustainability, particularly in planning marine space and exploiting maritime strengths in an integrated manner.

The sea should be considered a foundational platform for sustainable green agriculture

A comprehensive approach to achieving carbon neutrality and eventually net-zero emissions involves two key strategies. On one hand, reducing economic activities that generate greenhouse gases, primarily CO₂; on the other hand, continuing long-standing practices such as forestation while harnessing the ocean’s potential as a carbon sink. The use of carbon credit trading mechanisms - whether within a single sector or across multiple sectors - needs to be widely implemented.

This brings to mind the transferable fishing quota system (Individual Transferable Quota, ITQ) popular in Europe at the end of the 20th century.

The oceans absorb roughly 30% of CO₂ emissions generated by human activity, significantly reducing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. Therefore, the sea is not only a source of renewable and non-renewable resources but also a massive “carbon absorption and neutralization reservoir,” making it an effective and feasible contributor to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, particularly CO₂. This factor must be treated as a critical consideration in marine economic development, especially when planning for net-zero targets over the next 20 years.

Therefore, alongside exploiting and protecting marine resources, preserving biodiversity, and preventing marine pollution, effective measures are needed to leverage Vietnam’s over 1 million km² exclusive economic zone (EEZ), a vast area that plays a practical role in achieving the country’s green growth goals. These considerations must be incorporated into overall environmental protection strategies, including those of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment. In a holistic approach, the sea should be regarded as a foundation for developing sustainable, green agriculture.

In the coming years, Vietnam plans to establish multi-sectoral marine economic centers, major fisheries hubs linked to key fishing grounds, and expand marine aquaculture, as outlined in the draft documents submitted to the 14th Party Congress.

These efforts will be combined with initiatives such as planting or restoring coastal greenery like mangroves and seagrass meadows, enriching plankton populations, and developing seaweed cultivation and processing projects, which will significantly enhance the ocean’s carbon sequestration capacity through photosynthesis.

The connection between the coast and the sea holds particularly great significance

First, I would like to emphasize the issue of marine spatial planning. Although this important task has been proposed and subjected to multiple rounds of consultation over the years, it has yet to be fully implemented in practice. Each marine economic sector continues to operate independently, lacking coordination and collaboration.

The connection between the coast and the sea is an organic relationship of particular significance. We often hear about overexploitation or the use of prohibited fishing methods, which deplete marine resources and cause serious damage to marine ecosystems. This reflects shortcomings in the fisheries sector and the limited effectiveness of state management in this area.

However, many violations and negative impacts on marine ecosystems originate from the land and other sectors and industries. In practice, over the past years, the construction and implementation of industrial and urban development projects in coastal areas have caused considerable harm, partly due to shortcomings in environmental impact assessments (EIAs).

According to multiple sources, up to 90% of living aquatic resources originate from estuarine areas. Mangrove forests, lagoons, and coastal wetlands are crucial in maintaining biodiversity. To date, the conditions necessary for the regeneration of these resources and preserving biodiversity are facing serious challenges.

Currently, when people talk about fisheries, the focus is often on processing and export successes, with impressive export figures that Vietnam has proudly maintained over the years.

However, this export-centric view tends to overshadow other aspects, particularly offshore activities and management at sea. This shows that, although fisheries contribute significantly to the economy, in terms of state management and public perception, the sector is often regarded merely as a commodity industry, like rice, fruits, coffee, or rubber. Consequently, the economic-technical characteristics unique to fisheries seem to receive little attention.

Fisheries in Vietnam deserve recognition not only as a major and advanced sector but also as an economic-technical field, encompassing all the characteristics of the fishing profession at a systemic scale. Vietnam’s fishing system is part of the global fisheries network.

Although always considered important, as long as fisheries are treated merely as a commodity sector, it will be difficult for the industry to make breakthroughs that contribute to transforming Vietnam into a strong maritime nation, generating wealth from the sea, and achieving green growth and sustainable development goals.

Addressing IUU fishing must be guided by the principle of “for the national interest and the people’s benefit"

“For maritime professions, one’s occupation must go hand in hand with responsibility. To achieve this, while equipping fishermen with knowledge and skills, we cannot overlook instilling the spirit of responsible fishing into their awareness and practical work," Dr Ta Quang Ngoc, former Minister of Fisheries.

The issue, often referred to as Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, only drew significant domestic attention in 2017 when the European Union (EU) issued a “yellow card” warning to Vietnam’s fisheries. However, the concept had existed in the global fishing community long before that.

Let us go back to 1995, when the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations issued the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF). Vietnam has been an active participant in the CCRF from the very beginning, committing to implement it effectively despite the wide differences in fishing practices across countries.

Within the framework of the CCRF, an international action plan by FAO aimed at preventing, deterring, and eliminating IUU fishing was adopted by the FAO Council in June 2001. However, at the Reykjavik Conference (Iceland) held from October 1-4, 2001 on “Responsible Fisheries in the Marine Ecosystem,” important provisions concerning the prevention and elimination of IUU fishing, although previously drafted, failed to reach consensus and had to be temporarily set aside.

Subsequently, the EU developed its own plan to implement the internationally agreed commitments, and the European Commission’s (EC) Action Plan to eliminate IUU fishing was published in May 2002. In 2008, the EU adopted Regulation No. 1005/2008, introducing a “yellow card” and “red card” warning mechanism, which officially came into effect on January 1, 2010.

I still remember that in 2008, the EU sent a team of experts to Vietnam to work on IUU fishing with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. From June 2011, the term IUU began to be emphasized and frequently mentioned at international forums as a global standard for fisheries management, linked to traceability requirements and sustainable development. By 2012, IUU had become a major message for responsible fisheries, with the EU playing a pioneering role in its implementation.

Vietnam, like many other countries, has a small-scale, multi-species fisheries sector. This is characteristic of traditional fishing communities worldwide, which account for about 30% of global marine fish production. Therefore, eliminating IUU fishing requires a process of transforming the operational methods and management of the fisheries sector.

Clearly, once we have made international commitments, a well-structured roadmap is needed to address the issue of IUU. I believe this also serves the long-term interest of Vietnam’s fisheries in moving toward modernization and sustainability under the “green growth fisheries” approach.

There were times I thought that in our determination to remove the “yellow card,” we might have overlooked the essence of “eliminating IUU.” A shift in approach is needed, placing the national fisheries’ interests at the forefront. Our goal in eliminating IUU is to help Vietnam’s fisheries transition toward a more advanced model, aligned with green growth and sustainable development policies.

Marine aquaculture helps ease pressure on wild capture fisheries

Using marine farming to replace wild capture partially is a strategy aimed at sustainable development worldwide, and Vietnam is no exception to this trend.

Currently, Vietnam’s marine aquaculture is mainly concentrated in coastal and nearshore areas; offshore farming exists but remains very limited. The challenges lie in the mechanisms for allocating sea areas and in investment incentive policies. When expanding aquaculture from nearshore to offshore areas, infrastructure for production and marketing also needs to be carefully considered.

More importantly, to develop sustainable marine aquaculture, priority must be given to research and investigation of biological factors, ensuring the sustainability of aquaculture ecosystems and closely linking them with environmental protection.

Developing the marine economy, from responsible fisheries to sustainable marine farming, is not only about generating wealth today but also about preserving resources for the future. When the coast and the sea grow in harmony, when every ton of seafood produced is tied to environmental responsibility, and when every fishing ground is protected as part of our sacred territory, that will be the moment Vietnam truly becomes a strong maritime nation, prospering from the sea while advancing steadily along the path of green development.