Why 180,000 Smuggled Lobster Seedlings Could Not Be Released Into the Wild

The 180,000 lobster seedlings seized in Khanh Hoa could not simply be released into the sea or sold at auction. Authorities valued the shipment at more than 7 billion dong, but ordered all of it destroyed because it had entered Vietnam without customs declarations, quarantine certificates, invoices or documents proving its origin.

Some people questioned why the seedlings were not returned to nature to replenish fisheries resources, or auctioned to raise money for the state budget. The article says the missing documentation created a different risk. Releasing animals of unknown origin and health status could pollute the marine environment and aquaculture ecosystem, harming lobster farmers.

Vietnam’s Decree 38 of 2024 provides 16 remedial measures for fisheries violations, in addition to general measures under the law on administrative sanctions. One measure requires live aquatic animals or aquatic breeding stock to be returned to their habitat. However, the article says that provision applies to specific violations, including fishing in prohibited areas, breaches involving endangered aquatic species, violations in marine protected areas, the use of electricity for fishing, and the export of conditional aquatic breeding stock without meeting the required conditions.

The illegal import of lobster seedlings without documents proving their origin falls under Article 41, Clause 3 of the decree, as amended by Article 14 of Decree 301 of 2025. The required remedial measure is destruction. That means proposals to inspect the shipment before auctioning it or releasing it into the wild have no legal basis in this case.

The article also warns that using lobster seedlings of unclear origin in farming areas in central Vietnam has already created complicated consequences. Making an exception because the shipment had high monetary value could set a damaging precedent for controlling the origin of aquatic products. In other cases, animals may be returned to nature when they are alive and healthy, their natural habitat is clearly identified, and they do not carry dangerous pathogens.