The seafood industry is facing many difficulties due to climate change, natural disasters, and high input prices in the second half of this year.
At the press conference of the International Seafood Exhibition on September 10, Mr. Le Thanh Luu, Director of the International Cooperation Center for Sustainable Aquaculture and Fisheries (ICAFIS), said that climate change is having a serious impact on the aquaculture industry.
Global temperatures have risen about 1.5 degrees Celsius above historical averages, according to United Nations figures, affecting water quality and fish production, he said.
In addition, Typhoon Yagi caused serious damage in Hai Phong and Quang Ninh, causing many cages to be swept away and oyster lines to be broken. A report from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said that more than 1,500 aquaculture cages were swept away, of which Quang Ninh suffered the greatest loss with more than 1,000 cages damaged, causing fishermen to lose from several hundred million to billions of VND.
Mr. Le Thanh Luu, Director of the International Collaborating Center for Aquaculture and Fisheries Sustainability (ICAFIS) at the Aquaculture Vietnam 2024 press conference on the morning of September 10. Photo: Ba Cuong
Not only natural disasters, this industry is also under great pressure from increasing feed prices. Since the beginning of the year, the price of aquatic feed has increased from 32,000 VND to 35,000-36,000 VND per kilogram, causing production costs to increase significantly. This directly affects the profits of farmers and makes it difficult to maintain stable production.
Along with that, the issue of seed quality also poses many challenges. According to a recent survey in the Mekong Delta, white-leg shrimp and pangasius are facing major quality problems, leading to slow growth and reduced output.
Another major challenge facing the seafood industry in the near future is the requirement for carbon certification of seafood products. Dr. Nguyen Viet Thang, Chairman of the Vietnam Fisheries Society (VINAFIS), said that many international markets have begun to require this certification, to ensure that seafood products are produced according to sustainable standards. If the seafood industry cannot adapt to these environmental requirements in the next 3-5 years, Vietnam will face many difficulties in expanding and maintaining export markets.
Faced with the above challenges, Industry experts have proposed many solutions to help Vietnamese seafood overcome this difficult period.
Mr. Le Thanh Luu emphasized that the application of technology and digital transformation in aquaculture production is essential to improve production efficiency and minimize the negative impacts of climate change. Using renewable energy such as solar and wind energy, along with switching to low-carbon feeds such as algae or insect protein, are also effective measures to reduce emissions. In addition, developing aquatic species that can better adapt to the changing environment will be an important key to sustainable development.
The Vietnam Fisheries Association is actively encouraging businesses to improve the application of technology in seafood exploitation and processing. Accordingly, the association regularly coordinates with local technology centers to support farming and processing facilities towards sustainable development, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
In the first 6 months of the year, total seafood output reached over 4.38 million tons, up 2.7% over the same period last year, of which aquaculture output reached over 2.43 million tons. Export turnover of this item reached over 4.3 billion USD, up 4.9% compared to 2023. These figures show that the development potential of Vietnam’s seafood industry is still very large, despite facing many challenges in both the environment and the market.