Dung said VASEP strongly opposes the scientifically groundless decision of some member organizations of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in Europe to place Vietnam’s Tra fish on the Red List in its 2010 seafood consumption report, saying it would adversely affect not only Tra fish producers and consumers but also the WWF’s prestige.

He emphasized that Tra fish is a cheap, nutritious, and safe food for consumers all over the world. In 2008, Vietnam exported more than 224,000 tonnes of Tra fish to Europe, earning more than US$581 million, and accounting for 40 percent of Tra fish exported. In the first 10 months of 2010, 184,000 tonnes of Tra fish, worth US$423 million, were exported to the continent.

Vietnam widely uses international quality control standards such as the SQF 1000 by the US Food Marketing Institute. Many factories and breeding areas have also been certified by the Global Good Agriculture Practice (Global GAP).

The VASEP Vice Chairman asked WWF member organizations to reconsider their decisions and make public their criteria for putting Tra fish on the Red List.

VASEP is willing to help the WWF experts re-verify their information, Dung said.