The Vietnam handline fishery developed in late 2011, and has been growing steadily due to longline vessels switching to handline. The fishery targets tuna, swordfish, and other large pelagic species. In November 2017, an MSC Pre-Assessment was carried out, focusing on the Western and Central North Pacific Ocean stock (WCNPO), under the management of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) and the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC). It identified areas for improvement including:

• Lack of bycatch data

• Lack of catch monitoring

• Shortage of trained officers to enforce fishery regulations

• Lack of information to determine the impact on ETP species

• No well-defined harvest control rules for swordfish

In May 2018, Sea Delight, LLC and CeDePesca announced their intention to implement a Fishery Improvement Project for the Vietnam Handline Swordfish Fishery, and drafted an Action Plan. Sea Delight has opened the process to other fishery stakeholders and is now receiving comments on the MSC Pre-Assessment results and the draft action plan. Stakeholders interested in becoming part of the FIP are also welcome to approach Sea Delight or CeDePesca to discuss their membership and participation in the project.

fip documents

MSC Pre-Assessment

Draft Action Plan

Fisheryprogress.org FIP Tracking Profile

CONTACTS

For comments, recommendations, or participation inquiries, please contact:

Ernesto Godelman President, CeDePesca 
Stephen Fisher Sustainability Director, Sea Delight

Questions?