Vietnam continues all-out efforts to protect tra fish

The Vietnam Fishing Association (VFA) has asked the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to remove information relating to Vietnam’s tra (pangasius) fish from the red list of the WWF guidance manual for seafood consumers in 2010-2011.

This was the latest information released by the VFA at a press briefing in Hanoi on December 14.

According to the association, WWF members in several European countries placing Vietnam’s tra fish products in the red list (Don’t Buy) of the Seafood Consumers’ Guide 2010-2011 is contrary to international regulations and violates the “make public” principle in international relations and the World Trade Organisation’s principle of “transparency-scientific foundations”.

The VFA also suggested the Vietnamese government and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development urge the WWF members in six European countries to apologise to tra fish raisers, the Vietnamese government and European consumers, while guiding farmers to apply Vietnam’s GAP and CoC quality standards as well as recognise and proclaim widely the quality of Vietnam’s produce, not only in the country but also around the world.

Pham Anh Tuan, Deputy Director of the Directorate of Fisheries, said the WWF’s assessment was extremely absurd since it wasn’t based on the scientific realities of Vietnam’s tra fish but two outdated documents by the Netherlands.

On December 15, the Fisheries Directorate will have a direct dialogue with the Head of the Global Seafood Programme, Mark Powell, who will answer questions on technical measures and process that led to the action of placing Vietnam’s tra fish on the red list. – VOV

Tags: tra fish