Transboundary Fisheries Management and Cooperation in Overlapping Maritime Areas: Vietnam’s Practice

The South China Sea has long been the traditional fishing ground of Vietnamese fishermen and fisheries remain one of the top economic sectors in Vietnam. However, fish stocks in the South China Sea are generally considered to be overexploited. The biggest barrier to the establishment of a fisheries management cooperation mechanism in the South China Sea as opposed to other regions is the existence of the complicated territorial and maritime disputes among the coastal states. Vietnam, as a coastal state and a member of the UNCLOS, is thus under obligation to undertake cooperation in transboundary fisheries management cooperation in overlapping maritime areas. On that basis, this chapter will look into Vietnam’s practice of conducting transboundary fisheries management and cooperation in overlapping maritime areas in accordance with the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982.