Vietnam yellowfin tuna - handline

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Overview

Rooted in earlier projects by WWF Vietnam focused on bycatch best practices, the Vietnam yellowfin tuna FIP was launched in 2014, following the completion of a Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) pre-assessment and ensuing FIP Action Plan (updated in 2023).  The Action Plan scores the yellowfin against MSC criteria, identifying gaps and recommended actions required to meet the MSC standard.  WWF Vietnam is the National FIP Manager and the Vietnam Tuna Association (VinaTuna) is also a member of the FIP Coordination Unit together with an International FIP coordinator supported by WWF-US.  

The FIP previously included the longline gear (pre-2020) but vessels historically using longline have converted to handline only.

Key Matrices:
Species: Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus albacares)
Gear Type: Handline
Location: FAO Major Fishing Area 61 (Pacific, Northwest) and Area 71 (Pacific, Western Central) Exclusive Economic Zones 
Geographic Scope: Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa
Volume: 17,859 metric tons (2018)

FIP Collaborators
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) together with provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) are the key State agencies collaborating with the FIP Coordination Unit.  The FIP works with relevant MARD departments, particularly the Directorate of Fisheries (DFISH), the Department of Conservation and Aquatic Resource Development (DECAP) and the Research Institute of Marine Fisheries (RIMF).  

The yellowfin tuna FIP is directly supported by several international seafood companies (FIP Participants) engaged in various aspects of implementation – including field, market, policy and financing.  We also work with tuna processing industries in Vietnam in establishing FIP traceability.

The continued active involvement of international seafood companies, domestic processors and several national government agencies, are helping to improve the rate of progress in improvements against the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standard.

 

FIP Description 

Rooted in earlier projects by WWF Vietnam focused on bycatch best practices, the Vietnam yellowfin tuna FIP was launched in 2014, following the completion of a Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) pre-assessment and ensuing FIP Action Plan (updated in

FIP Objective(s) 

To overarching goal is to achieve MSC certification by Dec 2024.  Several intermediate objectives of the FIP have been identified, in contribution to the continual improvement in management of the fishery.  These include:

  • Supporting the development and implementation in management of harvest control rules and limit reference points, in partnership with WPEA project and wider WCPFC
  • Continued expansion of training, piloting and at-sea deployment of onboard observers in the handline fishery, including piloting of electronic logbooks, in direct partnership with industry (FIP Participants)
  • Supporting the establishment of a National Observer Program and securing the sustainable financing of its implementation towards WCPFC targets
  • Development and application in management of a Bycatch Mitigation Strategy, including full reporting of sea turtle and shark encounters 
  • Continued socialization and expansion in the use of Circle Hooks in the handline fishery, mainstreaming their adoption across the sector
  • Implementation of FIP traceability program, fully applied in all relevant processors and verified through independent 3rd party audits
  • Ongoing communication and awareness programs with fishers, processors and other stakeholders related to the FIP 
FIP Type 
Comprehensive
FIP Stage 
Stage 5: Improvements on the Water
Start and Projected End Dates
April 2014
December 2024
Update 
Due to finance constraints, political delays, a legacy of previous impacts/delays from Covid, and with the need to meet social policy requirements, the FIP expected end date has been revised to Dec 2024 as unanimously agreed by FIP Participants. With the introduction of the new MSC standard (v3.0) it has been decided that the FIP would enter into MSC full assessment under the new standard and will commence the MSC process in Q1 2024.
Next Progress Report Due 
Sunday, June 30, 2024
Species 
Common Name 
Yellowfin Tuna
Scientific Name
Thunnus albacares
Buying Guide Link Image 
Yellowfin Tuna
Buying Guide
Gear Type 
Handline
Location
FAO Major Fishing Area
Area 71 (Pacific, Western Central)
Exclusive Economic Zones
Country 
Viet Nam
Geographic Scope 
Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa
Regional Fisheries Management Organization
WCPFC
Landings
Estimated Total FIP Landings 
4,000 metric tons
Estimated Total Fishery Landings 
13,051 metric tons
Landings Date 
August 2023
PrintPDF

FIP at a Glance

View current status
April 01, 2014
32% 50% 18%
Progress Rating (A) Advanced Progress

Reserved for comprehensive FIPs that have achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result within the past 12 months.

(B) Good Progress

A basic FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result within 12 months.

(C) Some Recent Progress
  • A FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result in more than 12 (but less than 24) months AND has reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
  • A FIP younger than 12 months that has never achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result but has reported a Stage 3 activity within the first 12 months.
(D) Some Past Progress
  • A FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result in more than 12 (but less than 24) months BUT has not reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
  • A FIP for which the most recent Stage 4 or 5 result is more than 24 (but less than 36) months old AND a Stage 3 activity has been reported within six months.
  • A FIP 12-36 months old that has never reported a Stage 4 or 5 result AND has reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
(E) Negligible Progress
  • A FIP for which the most recent Stage 4 or 5 result is more than 24 (but less than 36) months old, with no Stage 3 activity reported in the last six months.
  • A FIP younger than 12 months with no Stage 3 activity reported within 12 months.
  • A FIP 12-36 months old that has never reported a Stage 4 or 5 result AND has not reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.

The ratings are currently derived by SFP from publicly available data on FIP websites, including FisheryProgress.org, and are determined using the following methodology: View PDF
C Some Recent Progress
Actions Complete

This pie chart represents completed environmental actions. Non-completed environmental actions may contain completed sub-tasks that are not illustrated here. For more information on environmental action progress visit the Actions Progress tab.
  • Complete
  • Incomplete
Next Update Due FisheryProgress requires a FIP to provide update reports every six months, and two missed reports will render the FIP inactive. If a report is overdue, this date will appear red.
Jun 2024
Target End Date
Dec 2024
Additional Impacts:
TraceabilityIUUEcosystemRoundtable

FIP Leads

Organization Name 
WWF
Organization Type 
NGO
Primary Contact 
Keith Symington
Email 
keithsymington@yahoo.ca
Website Name 
Vietnam Yellowfin Tuna Fisheries Improvement Project
Organization Name 
WWF
Organization Type 
NGO
Primary Contact 
Vuong Trong Binh
Email 
binh.vuongtrong@wwf.org.vn
Website Name 
Vietnam Yellowfin Tuna Fisheries Improvement Project
Organization Name 
WWF
Organization Type 
NGO
Primary Contact 
Nick Przyuski
Email 
nicholas.przyuski@wwfus.org
Website Name 
Vietnam Yellowfin Tuna Fisheries Improvement Project
Organization Name 
Vietnam Tuna Association (VinaTuna)
Organization Type 
Other
Primary Contact 
Mr Tran Van Hao
Email 
haovinatuna@gmail.com
FIP Identification Number The FIP Identification Number is automatically generated by FisheryProgress when a FIP profile is created. While the number itself is not meaningful, they are used by NGOs, academia, and industry to refer to FIPs in a consistent way.
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