HANOI, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam gained seafood export turnovers of nearly 8.4 billion U.S. dollars in 2017, up 18.5 percent against 2016, the country's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said on Tuesday.

Regarding three key seafood items, prawns and shrimps, and tuna, prawn and shrimp exports surged 20 percent to over 3.8 billion U.S. dollars, with exports to major markets, excluding the United States, growing considerably.

Vietnamese prawn and shrimp exports to China, Europe and South Korea grew 60 percent, 42 percent, and 33 percent respectively, the ministry said, adding that Vietnam exported bigger amounts of processed seafood last year.

The bigger proportion of processed seafood plus potential removal of a yellow card on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing issued in 2017 by the European Commission will be an important base for Vietnam to make seafood export turnovers of 9 billion U.S. dollars in 2018, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers.

Vietnam hopes that the European Commission will remove the yellow card, and give it a green card on IUU fishing in April 2018.

Vietnam will put the fight against IUU fishing into its revised Fisheries Law and build a national action plan to prevent, minimize and eliminate IUU fishing by 2025, said the ministry.

According to the association, 62 firms in Vietnam have committed to purchasing and importing seafood from legal fishing vessels with clear origin.

The country gained a total seafood output of more than 7.2 million tons in 2017, up 5.2 percent against 2016, the ministry said, noting that roughly 3.4 million tons came from catching, up 5.3 percent, and over 3.8 million tons came from aquaculture, up 5.2 percent.