Vietnam and US set to ease seafood trade regulation

On the sidelines of the Seafood Expo North America 2026 held in Boston, Massachusetts, representatives of the Vietnamese mission and trade office, together with the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters (VASEP) and participating enterprises, held a working session with the US National Fisheries Institute (NFI).

Discussions focused on US regulations for imported seafood, particularly the implementation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).

The Seafood Expo, held from March 15 to 17, brought together numerous businesses, importers, distributors, and seafood industry organisations from around the world.

Shrimp is a key export to the US market.

The event provided an important platform for Vietnamese companies to strengthen trade connections, promote products, and engage with US partners on technical and policy issues related to seafood trade.

Vietnamese representatives updated NFI on progress in implementing US requirements under the MMPA, with particular emphasis on the review process of comparability findings for Vietnamese fisheries.

At present, several fisheries remain under domestic assessment, with further work needed to finalise documentation and data to meet US technical criteria.

NFI experts commended Vietnam’s efforts to maintain direct dialogue with the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), especially through technical meetings aimed at clarifying issues related to fisheries management systems, monitoring mechanisms, and measures to mitigate impacts on marine mammals.

“US businesses and seafood importers highly value Vietnam’s role in the global seafood supply chain. For several key seafood products, Vietnam is currently an important supplier to the US market, while also complementing domestic consumption and processing demand,” an NFI representative said.

One of Vietnam’s current challenges lies in the lack of long-term data on interactions between fishing activities and marine mammal species.

As many management and monitoring programmes have only recently been introduced, there has not yet been sufficient time to build comprehensive datasets required for NOAA assessments.

The NFI therefore recommended that Vietnam clarify measures being implemented to strengthen data collection, including fishers’ logbook systems, observer programmes, and bycatch mitigation measures.

The institute also suggested establishing a clear commitment roadmap with NOAA, including periodic reporting milestones on the progress of monitoring and data collection initiatives.

Both sides agreed to enhance coordination in preparation for further engagements with NOAA and other US agencies.

The Vietnam Trade Office in the US and VASEP will also maintain dialogue with relevant US associations and businesses to promote cooperation, thereby helping to resolve technical obstacles and create more favourable conditions for Vietnam’s seafood exports to this market.

In 2025, Vietnam’s seafood exports reached $11.3 billion, of which approximately $1.9 billion went to the United States. The US remains a key market not only for seafood but also for various agricultural and processed industrial goods.

In the first two months of 2026, Vietnam’s seafood export turnover totalled $1.76 billion, up 23.3 per cent on-year.

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