With a long coastline of 3,260 km and more than 1 M km² of marine exclusive economic zones, Vietnam is abundant with marine resources. More than 2,000 fish species are found in its waters, of which, approximately 130 of these are considered economically important. But from the same abundance, Vietnam’s waters and all the marine life it hold are extremely vulnerable to abuse. Some 130,000 boats presently circle the country’s waterways and exploiting its aquatic resources.

Now, around 234 of Vietnam’s marine species are on the verge of extinction, as claimed in the new atlas of rare sea organisms published by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's Seafood General Department. The list just came out earlier this week, naming several species that are almost virtually absent from Vietnam's waters and categorizing them as “extinct in the wild” or “critically endangered."

Chu Tien Vinh, deputy chief of the department, told a press conference held to release the book that sea species were significant contributors to Vietnam’s economy. He claimed that several reasons contribute to the threat of extinction including over-fishing and exporting products using certain marine species as raw materials. But he also recognized the difficulty of tracking down the problem without compromising local fishermen's livelihoods.

The lack of enforcement implemented on this issue makes paper protection not enough for Vietnam's marine life. He said the only solution to protect the resources, especially the rare species, is by breeding sea creatures sustainably. Concerned sectors recommend that authorities should look into finding alternative sources of income for communities dependent on the sale of marine life and products that utilize the same. Education and expanding the existing awareness programs is also necessary. From the same press conference, the department also announced plans to zone 45 new sea reserves through 2020, expressing a total investment of VND545 billion (US$28.7 million). However, without effective enforcement of the laws, the future for marine life in the Vietnamese waters would look very bleak.