The Japanese government is committed to continuously supporting the fishery sector in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), in partnership with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and BARMM's Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR). Japan has provided a $4.79-million grant to help develop the aquaculture and fishery industries in the Bangsamoro region, which supplies 30% of the country's fish production and is among the top suppliers of fish and marine products of the country. However, the region faces challenges such as high post-harvest losses, declining production, and underutilized waters, which are impacting the sector. To address these issues, FAO is implementing initiatives such as providing technical support, training, and infrastructure development to empower local fishing communities. Stated by the Japanese embassy, this also includes training to improve the monitoring and fish stocks management among MAFAR and local government units.

Source: The Philstar

The International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the World Sustainability Organization (WSO) have signed an agreement to endorse Friend of the Sea as an IAF Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA) sub-scope. Friend of the Sea, a certification program promoting sustainable marine practices, will now be recognized under the IAF's Product Certification standard (ISO/IEC 17065). This enables mutual recognition of accredited certification for the scheme, facilitating acceptance in multiple markets with a single accreditation.

IAF Chair Emanuele Riva emphasized the partnership’s role in supporting sustainable practices and responsible sourcing in global seafood supply chains. Paolo Bray, Founder of Friend of the Sea, stated that this endorsement boosts the credibility of their certification, combating greenwashing and providing consumers with trustworthy sustainability certification.

Source:https://iaf.nu/en/news/iaf-and-wso-sign-scheme-endorsement-agreement/

Despite facing challenges like increased competition, trade wars, and market barriers, Vietnam’s seafood exports are expected to continue growing, potentially reaching $11 billion in 2025, similar to 2022.

Vasep Communications Director Le Hang stated that while Vietnam's seafood exports are expected to grow and return to 2022 levels in 2025, the industry will face significant challenges. Despite this, Hang highlighted that key global markets, including the US, EU, Japan, and China, have shown recoveries in 2024 and will continue to drive high demand for seafood exports in 2025.

Looking ahead to 2025, while challenges remain—such as climate change, competition from other countries, and rising production costs—Vietnam’s seafood industry stands to benefit from growing global demand, especially in markets like the US, EU, China, and Japan.

Source: World Fishing