Minh Phu to help 20,000 shrimp farms reach Monterey Bay Best Choice rating

The Minh Phu Seafood Corporation has agreed to work with the Monterey Bay Aquarium to help bring some 20,000 small-scale shrimp farms in Vietnam's Mekong Delta to a level of sustainability equivalent to the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch program's green "Best Choice" rating by 2025, according to a jointly issued press release. 

Based in Camau City, Vietnam, Minh Phu is a massive shrimp processor, having handled 230 million lbs of shrimp and generating $700m in revenue in 2017, according to the press release. Vietnam is the world's second-largest global producer of shrimp and the commitment is expected to impact approximately 10% of Vietnam’s production of black tiger shrimp.

“As one of the largest shrimp producers in the world, we recognize the importance of working together to achieve production that can deliver quality, environmental protection and sustainable livelihoods,” said Henry Hien Phan of Minh Phu at the event. “This commitment will support these goals for small scale, low impact black tiger shrimp production while ensuring transparency and traceability, and bring market confidence to a new level.”

The commitment, which was announced at the Our Ocean Conference, being held this week in Bali, Indonesia, also is shared by SGS, the Asian Seafood Improvement Collaborative and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

It will address "key challenges for small-scale shrimp farmers by significantly scaling up improvement projects, training and tools needed for sustainable production," the press release said. "The collaborators will align sustainability standards, provide funding and technical support for infrastructure or improved farming methods, engage in government outreach, and build capacity through training and education."

Hien was joined in the announcement by former US senator and secretary of state John Kerry, who launched the Southeast Asia Fisheries and Aquaculture Initiative in 2017.