Countries urged to accept WTO fisheries agreement

San Francisco – More countries, especially those with extensive coastal communities like the Philippines, are being urged to accept the World Trade Organization (WTO)’s agreement on fisheries subsidies to send a clear signal of zero tolerance on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUUF).

In a briefing with journalists under the Foreign Press Center’s international reporting tour, Monterey Bay Aquarium vice president for global ocean initiatives Jennifer Dianto Kemmerly stressed the importance of having more countries accept the agreement.

“It is very important for countries to sign on to send a very clear signal of zero tolerance for subsidizing fleets and economies’ efforts that are having some sort of egregious harm,” Kemmerly said.

This is a call to action from over 200 scientists globally, pleading with countries to accept the agreement to end harmful fishing subsidies.

“I would add that the NGO (non-government organization) community would like to see that broaden,” she said.

The agreement on fisheries subsidies, which was adopted by consensus at the WTO’s 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) held in Geneva from June 12 to 17, 2022, sets new and binding multilateral rules to curb harmful subsidies, which are a key factor in the widespread depletion of the world’s fish stocks.

According to the WTO, the agreement recognizes the needs of developing and least-developed countries (LDCs), and establishes a fund to provide technical assistance and capacity building to help them implement the agreement.

It prohibits subsidies to IUUF and bans subsidies for fishing overfished stocks and for fishing in the unregulated high seas.

The WTO said members also agreed at MC12 to continue negotiations on outstanding issues, with a view to making recommendations by MC13, set in February 2024, for additional provisions that would further enhance the disciplines of the agreement.

WTO members recently demonstrated an increased sense of urgency in their discussions at the fourth of a series of “Fish Weeks” held from July 10 to 14 regarding the second wave of fisheries subsidies negotiations.

“Members came to this week with deepened reflections on various ideas on the proposals and texts on the table. It was clear that members have devoted considerable attention to all the elements before them. This effort remains a real indication of the sense of urgency and seriousness with which we are approaching this process,” said Iceland Ambassador Einar Gunnarsson, who chairs the negotiations.

He also reiterated plans to hold four Fish Weeks in the fall, during the weeks starting Sept. 18, Oct. 9, Nov. 6 and Dec. 4.

Members will also meet on July 19 to discuss technical work related to the operation of the future committee on fusheries subsidies.

Among the countries that have submitted their acceptance of the agreement are Belize, Canada, China, Gabon, Iceland, Japan, Nigeria, Seychelles, Singapore, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, the United States and members of the European Union.

Kemmerly said the agreement only covers subsidies that support IUUF.

“So we’re not subsidizing fleets that are part of the problem. You can have fishery subsidies to help drive environmental improvements or build more sustainable communities and contribute to economies. So positive subsidies are not what we’re looking at here,” Kemmerly said, referring to the agreement.

“We’re looking at the harmful fishing subsidies,”she said, adding that these are fishing vessels that have a history of illegality or environmental and social impacts that are egregious.

Last January, Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual said the country was in the process of ratifying the agreement.

Pascual also affirmed the country’s commitment to contribute to the second wave of the fisheries negotiations.

“I would like to emphasize that one of the top priorities of the Philippines is to advance agriculture negotiations. There is also an urgent need to restore the two-tier dispute settlement system and unblock the impasse in the selection process of the appellate body,” he said.

The WTO earlier said that acceptances from two-thirds of its members are needed for the agreement to come into effect.