The Ben Tre clam fishery of Vietnam is the first fishery in South East Asia to seek assessment against the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) environmental standard for well-managed and sustainable fisheries.
The fishery - which sells its hand-picked clams to domestic markets and exports to Europe, Japan, China and Taiwan - will now be assessed by an independent expert team to establish whether it meets the MSC’s Principles & Criteria for Sustainable Fishing. If successful, the fishery can apply to display the blue MSC eco-label, and join the growing global market for certified sustainable fish and seafood.
Tran Thi Thu Nga, Vice Director of the Ben Tre Department of Fisheries, comments: “Certification to the MSC standard would signal to consumers that clams from the Ben Tre fishery are harvested in a sustainable manner. The MSC assessment process will help Ben Tre fishermen understand the issues of sustainable exploitation, habitat security as well as environmental and ecosystem protection. We hope MSC certification will provide opportunities to expand the markets for our clams. At the same time, people’s knowledge about protecting fish resources, habitats and the environment, mollusc traceability and the living conditions of the poor coastal residents will be improved.”
In 2005, the Ben Tre clam fishery harvested just over 9,500 tonnes. Accredited certifier Moody Marine will lead the assessment to the MSC standard. The Ben Tre People’s Committee Department of Fisheries, WWF Greater Mekong and WWF’s Community Fisheries Program applied for the fishery to be assessed against the MSC standard and will thus be acting as joint clients during the fishery’s assessment.
