Page 42 - November 2021 IB FINAL

Fisheries Fisheries

Ambassador Mere Falemaka Photo: file

PACIFIC GOES HEAD-TO-HEAD AT WTO

GENEVA MEETING TO RULE ON THORNY FISHERIES SUBSIDIES

By Samisoni Pareti refrain from introducing new such subsidies, recognising that
appropriate and effective special and differential treatment
Bruised and battered from the grueling negotiations at the for developing and least developed countries should be an
COP26 climate talks in Glasgow this month, six Pacific island integral part of the WTO fisheries subsidies negotiation.”
nations are now steeling themselves for another battle. This The first challenge is fundamental; understanding the level
time they are going head-to-head with bigger, richer nations of subsidies already on offer. WTO members also need to
over the future of the Pacific’s lucrative fish resources. agree on which harmful subsidies should be weeded out, and
Trade Ministers from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, which beneficial ones should be retained.
Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu will join other nation “One of the difficult things about this negotiation is the lack
members of the World Trade Organisation for their 12th Minis- of clarity about the global fisheries subsidies, how much is
terial Conference in Geneva, Switzerland on 30 November to global fishery subsidies in the world today,” explains Ambas-
3 December. sador Mere Falemaka, the Permanent Representative of the
At stake is fisheries subsidies, and the mandate to abolish Pacific Islands Forum to the WTO.
subsidies that cause overfishing, as well as those that reward “The only guides that we have at the moment are the
Illegal, Unreported, Unregulated (IUU) fishing. researchers, particularly the research of Dr (Rashid) Sumaila
This objective is in keeping with the UN Sustainable Devel- of the University of British Columbia and his team that have
opment Goal (SDG) 14.6, which stipulates that by 2020, UN been tracking global fishery subsidies.”
member countries should “prohibit certain forms of fisheries Dr Sumaila estimated that in 2018, global fisheries subsidies
subsidies which contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, amounted to around US$35 billion, of which US$22 billion (or
and eliminate subsidies that contribute to IUU fishing, and 60%) go to capacity enhancing, that is, in the construction of

42 Islands Business, November 2021