Danish experts have called on Vietnam to look seriously into the fisheries sector’s impact on the environment and society after recognising its great contribution to the national economy.

They raised their concerns at a workshop in Hanoi on December 3 where a report on analyses of the economic strategy of the fisheries industry was released.

Danish Ambassador John Nielsen emphasised major achievements made by the Vietnamese fisheries sector which has emerged as one of the 20 biggest seafood exporters in the world.

Fisheries have made huge contributions to economic development as well as living standards in Vietnam , said the chief Danish diplomat in Vietnam .

His view was echoed by Simon McCoy from the research group on economic development under the University of Copenhagen , who highlighted numerous challenges for the fisheries industry.

He said aquaculture was booming in Vietnam but until now there was no serious evaluation of its impact on the environment and society.

The fisheries sector set itself to contribute between 30 and 35 percent to the agriculture-forestry-fisheries gross production output and achieve an annual growth rate of 8-10 percent by 2020.

To meet that goal, the report recommended the fisheries industry diversify the species of domestic fish and increase the efficiency of legal enforcement on environmental management, including liquid waste treatment and limited use of chemicals.

Fisheries leaders are advised to help fishermen find sideline occupations in an effort to reduce excessive catches while efforts should also be made to build a strategy suitable to climate change.

Professional associations such as the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Processors and their branches at the provincial level are urged to work together in order to mitigate negative impacts on the fisheries sector and the national economy as whole caused by competition among processors for domestic consumption and export./.