Climate change and overfishing threaten the future of Vietnam’s centuries-old fish sauce tradition, a beloved condiment recognized by Vietnam as an indelible part of its heritage.
The Future of Vietnam‘s Fish Sauce Tradition
Bui Van Phong chose to stay in his small village 50 years ago, deciding to carry on the family’s centuries-old tradition of making fish sauce. Now, with his son Bui Van Phu at the helm, the younger Bui is acutely aware of the historical value and quality that their product brings.
The Threats Lurking Beneath
Climate change and overfishing are making it harder to catch the anchovies essential to Vietnam‘s beloved fish sauce. The condiment has been recognized by Vietnam as an indelible part of its heritage, but the younger Bui is acutely aware that this heritage is under threat.
Vietnam is a long, thin country located in Southeast Asia.
It borders China to the north, Laos and Cambodia to the west, and the South China Sea to the east.
The country's terrain varies from mountains in the northwest to deltas in the southeast.
Vietnam has a tropical climate with two main seasons: hot and wet summers, and cool and dry winters.
The average temperature ranges from 20-30°C (68-86°F) throughout the year.
The anchovies thrive in large schools in nutrient-rich waters near the shore, but climate change is warming the oceans, depleting oxygen levels in the water. As a result, scientists fear that smaller fish will become more common, making it harder to catch the high-quality anchovies needed for fish sauce. Renato Salvatteci, who studies fisheries at the Christian-Albrecht University of Kiel in Germany, warns that if this trend continues, ‘anchovies will not be OK with that.‘
Climate change is a significant long-term alteration in the Earth's climate.
It is primarily caused by human activities that release greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, into the atmosphere.
These gases trap heat from the sun, leading to rising temperatures and associated effects like sea-level rise, melting glaciers, and extreme weather events.
According to NASA, 2020 was the hottest year on record globally, with an average temperature increase of 1°C since the late 19th century.
To combat climate change, countries must reduce greenhouse gas emissions through renewable energy sources, energy efficiency, and sustainable land use practices.
The Global Consequences
Warming oceans threaten the ocean ecology and marine life, leading to a proliferation of smaller, less nutritious fish. This can result in increased costs of fishing and food, as well as global consequences for the ecosystem.
Overfishing compounds the problem, particularly in the contested waters of the South China Sea, where geopolitics make management difficult. The destructive industrial fishing practice of dragging large nets along the seabed has prevailed since the 1980s, despite increased fishing efforts. A 2021 assessment by scientists from the University of British Columbia in Canada warns that even if global warming is limited to 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 degrees Celsius) above pre-industrial levels, the South China Sea will still lose more than a fifth of its fish stocks.
The Importance of Tradition
Phu works hard to perfect the fish sauce art handed down by his ancestors, teaching information technology by day and fermenting fish sauce by night. He believes that each family has their own secrets about making fish sauce, and he hopes to pass these on to his son. But he knows that it will depend on whether enough anchovies thrive in the sea for the craft to be viable.
For Phu, fish sauce is not just a condiment for cooking but also a symbol of tradition, culture, and heritage that need to be preserved and safeguarded. As Vietnam looks to increase its share of the global fish sauce market, which is projected to grow from $18.5 billion in 2023 to nearly $29 billion by 2032, Phu‘s family is determined to protect their centuries-old tradition.
The Future of Fish Sauce
Vietnam and Thailand are the world’s largest exporters of fish sauce, with Vietnam hoping to improve food safety standards to satisfy lucrative markets like the U.S., Europe, and Japan. The varying taste of different brews means that everyone has their own opinion about which is the best, from top businessmen to daily wage workers.
The global fish sauce market is driven by increasing demand for umami flavor in Asian cuisine.
Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia are major producers of fish sauce, accounting for over 70% of global production.
The market size is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.5% from 2023 to 2030.
Key players include Thai Fish Sauce, 'Red Boat' , and 'Three Crabs' .
The market is segmented by type, including nam pla, nuoc nam, and other regional variations.
As Phu says, ‘Fish sauce to me is not just a condiment for cooking. But it is our craft, our culture, our tradition that need to be preserved, safeguarded and inherited.‘ The future of Vietnam‘s fish sauce tradition hangs in the balance, as climate change and overfishing threaten the very foundation of this beloved condiment.
