Vietnam’s fisheries are largely small-scale with about 85% of fishing vessels in the country operating in near-shore areas. They are however significantly overfished, primarily due to overcapacity of the fishing fleet. In simple terms, there are “too many fishers chasing too few fish”. As a result, earnings from fishing activities are decreasing, and often are not enough to cover fishing costs, threatening food security, poverty rates, livelihoods and social stability and the marine ecosystems.
Addressing the overexploitation of fisheries resources in Vietnam however presents a formidable challenge:
- livelihoods of eight million people depend on these fisheries as a primary income source
- additionally, 12 million receive part of their income or subsistence from fisheries; and
- there are few alternative sources of employment in many coastal communities,
Since 2015 ADMCF has been supporting local partner, Centre for Marine life Conservation and Community Development (MCD), in its efforts to reduce overfishing and improve the resilience of small-scale fisheries by piloting the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) in Vietnam and specifically in Binh Dinh Province, on the central coast.
Binh Dinh has proven to be a good example of how as part of EAFM, co-management can be adopted to sustainably manage marine resources. MCD has worked to provide technical advice to the Department of Fisheries to introduce “Co-Management” into the new Fisheries Law, which was adopted in November 2017. Additionally, MCD has assisted the government in writing Decrees on both co-management and marine protected areas (MPA’s) based on the EAFM pilot. Under the regulations of co-management documented in the law, local community groups now have legal recognition to carry out protection of open-access marine areas in partnership with the government.
Looking forward, MCD aims to create case studies based on these on-going pilots of improved small-scale fisheries management, to inform other provinces.

Global, Hong Kong
2022 Annual Report
May 8, 2023
Sophie le Clue
A Perfect Storm, Justice, Ambition, Transformation We are pleased to release our 2022 Annual Report, highlighting the work of our programmes across an extraordinary year, wherein the Conference of the Parties to three of the ...
Global, Hong Kong
Stan Shea, Hong Kong Marine Biologist, Awarded Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation
March 22, 2023
Liberty Mccarthy
We are proud to announce that Stan Shea, ADMCF’s Marine Programme Director has been selected by The Pew Charitable Trusts as a recipient of the Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation. Stan is one of seven international ...
Global, Hong Kong
Webinar: International Online Workshop on the Use of Fish Maws – Implications for Species, Fisheries, People and Sustainability
March 10, 2023
ADMCF
This workshop has now taken place. Watch the recordings here and view or download speaker presentations here. Fish maws (swim bladders) have been used in various products for centuries including food, isinglass (used in brewing ...