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© Reuters. PHOTO OF THE FILE: The World Trade Organization (WTO) logo is depicted in front of their headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, on October 28, 2020. REUTERS / Denis Balibouse
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By Emma Farge
GENEVA (Reuters) – The World Trade Organization will hold talks next week to reach an agreement to limit subsidies that help overfishing the world’s seas and oceans.
Hopes for progress are bleak. WTO representatives have been negotiating for 20 years and only agreed last December on the definition of “fish”.
WTO new CEO Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has said the deal is a top priority but has also expressed doubts about a July conclusion.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, some regions such as the Mediterranean are significantly lower and, within biologically sustainable levels, the number of fish stocks fell from less than 66% in 2017 to less than 66% in 2017.
Graph: State of the world’s fish stocks: https://graphics.reuters.com/TRADE-WTO/FISHERIES/qzjvqxoydpx/fishStocks.jpg
Environmentalists say the removal of harmful subsidies is the most important thing governments can do to help reverse the decline.
WTO delegates are negotiating in Geneva to try to reach an agreement before the July 15 virtual ministerial meeting.
However, negotiators have already missed the 2020 deadline set by the United Nations, and the Directorate-General itself has expressed doubts about a July conclusion.
WHAT IS THE MAIN PROBLEM?
Governments have been subsidizing their fleets for centuries, from food security to national pride, to pressure from industry lobbies.
Since World War II, world catches have continued to grow, reaching 86 million tonnes in 1996.
Without government intervention, smaller catches would leave some fishermen out of business. But subsidies that reduce operating costs, such as for fuel, can continue.
Graphic: Fishing Grants: https://graphics.reuters.com/TRADE-WTO/FISHERIES/dgkvlralevb/fishingSubsidies.jpg
British biologist Daniel Pauly of the University of British Columbia is creating what he describes as a “bottom race” to compete with those who are left to travel further to countries that have run out of stocks in their waters.
Pew Charitable Trusts estimates that an ambitious WTO agreement could increase fish biomass worldwide by 12.5% by 2050, based on a model shared with negotiators https://www1.pewtrusts.org/nb/research-and-analysis/articles/2021 / 06/07 / end-harmful-subsidies-can-increase-the-number-of-fish-in-ocean-research-shows.
However, a recent draft has shown lower profits of less than 2%. See chart: https://tmsnrt.rs/2V49JLS
Graph: Replenishment of fish stocks: https://graphics.reuters.com/TRADE-WTO/FISHERIES/rlgpdraoopo/stocksReplenished.jpg
WHERE IS THE DEEPEST CRISIS?
Among the biggest losers are developing countries like Senegal; economies are based on fishing but do not have the resources to develop large industrial fleets to compete with those that enter their waters.
This can remove local livelihoods and vital sources of protein. Already, the sinking of predatory fish like white groupers has forced sardines to become smaller.
The environmental impact of subsidies is also felt on the high seas, beyond the territorial waters of nations.
Some entrepreneurs are a good example of the Indian Ocean, where 94% of tuna is overfished and the single largest fleet is in the EU, according to the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission.
There is also concern that hundreds of squid jiggers who come to the Galapagos (NASDAQ 🙂 islands every year will run out of stock and steal other species, such as tuna, skins and sharks.
WHO ARE THE MAIN ASSISTANTS?
Global funding is estimated at $ 35.4 trillion according to a 2019 study published by Maritime Policy https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X19303677.
The best funders are China, the EU, the United States, South Korea and Japan, he said. However, not all subsidies are “harmful” and fall within the scope of the WTO agreement.
Without funding, deep-sea fishing would not be much more profitable, including damaging deep-sea deep-sea trawling, according to the 2018 Science Advances article https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/4/6/eaat2504.
HOW MANY APPROACHES TO TAKE THE SET?
The countries had previously failed, with talks ending in 2017 at the ministry’s last WTO meeting in Buenos Aires with disagreements. But analysts have warned that coming empty-handed would be a major blow to the organization, which has not agreed to a multilateral agreement in recent years.
In this round of talks led by Santiago Wills of Colombia, five draft versions of the agreement have been drafted.
However, there is still a lot to decide, with the last draft released last week still having 84 parentheses in parentheses, indicating parts of the draft that have not yet been agreed.
Negotiators say the biggest problem is the size of the exceptions for developing countries, where countries like India are pushing for large sculptures.
Beijing continues to oppose a provision on the high seas that many delegates see as a problem. Some of Washington’s proposals for forced labor in May see no support, as all 164 members are unlikely to agree.
Many negotiators see the virtual format of the July meeting set by COVID measures as a handicap.
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