The WWF also officially removed Vietnam’s tra fish, also known as pangasius, from the “Don’t buy” list in its consumer guidance manual at the signing.

Under the MoU, the WWF and Vietnam will cooperate to help Vietnam’s tra fish obtain the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC)'s certification for sustainable development.

The WWF will seek funds to support Vietnam in getting the certification.

The fund will also promote ASC-certified tra fish globally to help it fetch higher prices.

The two sides target that 25 percent of exported tra fish volume will meet international standards on sustainable development in 2011-12, with 10 percent of them certified by the ASC.

They also expect all exported tra fish will satisfy international standards by 2015 and half of them will be certified by the ASC.

Vietnam ships 650,000 tons of tra fish abroad a year and is projected to export about 800,000 tons every year over the next five years, the Vietnam News Agency reports.

The ASC, a non-profit organization, was founded in 2009 by WWF and the Dutch Sustainable Trade Initiative to manage global standards for responsible aquaculture.