Negotiations on World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Agreement on fisheries subsidies should focus on protecting the small-scale and artisanal fishers while encouraging sustainable growth in the fisheries sector, a panel discussion has proposed. Experts who spoke at the meet also called for differential treatment of developing nations on agreement.
Fishery scientists, economists, and experts on trade, investment, and law attended the meeting which was organised by the Bay of Bengal Programme- Inter-Governmental Organisation (BOBP-IGO) in association with ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), Marine Product Export Development Authority (MPEDA) and other organisations.
Citing the disparity in the economic growth of the sector in developed and developing nations, CMFRI Director, Grinson George said: “Historically, these subsidies enabled developed countries to build large industrial fleets, causing significant environmental impacts and inequalities in resource distribution”. Compared to this, India’s fish catch is predominantly small-scale based, making it a matter of food security and livelihood.
Therefore, the negotiations on this agreement should focus on protecting the small-scale and artisanal fishers while encouraging sustainable growth in the fisheries sector, he said.
A representative of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations expressed optimism about the WTO agreement, saying it could promote sustainability in the sector by curbing illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and over-exploitation. Pinar Karkaya, Economist at FAO Liaison Office in Geneva also explained the legal and practical implications of the agreement.
James J Nedumpara at the Centre for Trade and Investment Law of the Indian Institute for Foreign Trade (IIFT) flagged concerns over some aspects of the WTO agreement, saying that strong scientific backing is required to identify overfishing, overfished stocks and IUU fishing as mentioned in the agreement. He also said that regional fisheries management organisations such as BOBP could play a crucial role in capacity building and sustainability assessment, fostering collaboration of countries at the regional level.
The experts also observed that India’s subsidies are minimal compared to major fishing nations like China. Scientists discussed the need for assessing the subsidies on a per capita basis instead of an annual aggregate level.
BOBP-IGO Director P Krishnan, who moderated the discussion, highlighted the plans of the Organisation in sensitising and building capacity among the stakeholders from the Bay of Bengal region.
The WTO’s framework for fisheries negotiations has three pillars: subsidies for IUU fishing; subsidies for overfished stocks; and subsidies contributing to overcapacity and overfishing. Agreements on the first two pillars were reached at the 12th Ministerial Conference of WTO in 2022.
