Pitch for Fisheries Deal in July

The United States, China and New Zealand used a meeting on aid for trade to to pitch for early conclusion of the World Trade Organization’s fisheries subsidies agreement.  

The meeting became a venue for advancing the stalled fisheries subsidies agreement which continues to suffer from alleged historical asymmetries. 

New Zealand, which is the leader of the Friends of Fish group – along with the United States and China, two big beneficiaries of the proposed agreement – and 27 other countries made a splash by calling for an urgent conclusion of the FSA at the end-July General Council meeting.

The 30 countries that signed on to the statement on FSA includes: Argentina, Australia, Barbados, Belize, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Ecuador, Fiji, Hong Kong China, Malaysia, Mauritius, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, Suriname, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States and Vanuatu.

The EU seems to have not signed the proposal. Brazil, India and Indonesia also are absent from the list of signatories.

Deal Before Summer Break

In their document (WT/COMTD/AFT/10, New Zealand said at the meeting on Wednesday
that “we take this opportunity to affirm our support for the entry into force of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies as soon as possible this year.

We also affirm our support for conclusion of the negotiations on additional provisions relating to overcapacity and overfishing in July ahead of the European summer break, building on the significant progress made by Members at the Thirteenth Ministerial Conference (MC13) in Abu Dhabi.”

They noted that “the critical contribution of this agreement for advancing the WTO's sustainable development objectives, in line with UN Sustainable Development Goal target 14.6. In particular, we note the importance of a comprehensive agreement for protecting ocean health, the livelihoods of fisherfolk, and the communities they support.”

The proponents acknowledged “the leadership of many WTO Members in seeking to reach a comprehensive agreement. We encourage all Members to engage constructively in order to bring the negotiations to a successful conclusion without delay.”

They also dangled the carrot by suggesting that “the WTO Fisheries Funding Mechanism and look forward to it being operational upon the entry into force of the Agreement.”

The second phase of the fisheries agreement was opposed at the 13th ministerial conference earlier this year because of the specific carveouts given to distant water fishing by some of the big subsidizers, who depleted the global fish stocks, said people who asked not to be quoted.

Leveraging Global Partnerships to Implement the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies for a Sustainable and Food-Secure Future

27 June 2024

Key figures:

• Between 2010 and 2022, USD 6.2 billion in aid was committed by various governments to support marine fisheries in developing and least-developed countries.  Of that total, 71% was directed to sustainable fisheries policies.
• However this is dwarfed by the estimated USD 22 billion spent globally on harmful fisheries subsidies – a 63-fold difference.
• The report includes a list of the top donors of fisheries developmental assistance among a list of 61, and the top 10 beneficiaries.

Link: https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news24_e/ffm_27jun24_e.htm