How Regional Fisheries Managers Can Help End Harmful Subsidies

Overfishing and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing not only strain fish populations around the
world, but also threaten the food security and economic livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people.
More than one-third of fish stocks worldwide are exploited beyond sustainable levels, according to the Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. Worse, a lot of the fishing pressure causing this would
be unprofitable if it weren’t subsidized by governments that pay fleets to go farther from shore in pursuit of a
dwindling number of fish.
In fact, of the $35 billion in subsidies that governments provide each year to their fishing industries, $22 billion
are harmful—that is, they are granted primarily to industrial fleets and accelerate overfishing, artificially lowering
the costs of fuel, vessel construction and repair, and other expenses.
These subsidies increase fishing capacity, which means that large industrial vessels are better able to catch more
fish than is sustainable and to continue fishing when it wouldn’t be profitable without subsidies. This in turn hurtssmall local fishers worldwide because it depletes the fish stocks closer to home that those fishers typically rely
on, forcing many of them to travel farther from shore and stay at sea longer to catch enough fish to feed
their communities.
It is vital that governments around the world significantly reduce overfishing and IUU fishing to sustain targeted fish populations, help to protect the balance of the ocean’s ecosystem and ensure a viable future for coastal
fishing communities.
Fortunately, there has been some progress on this front. In 2022, Member States of the World Trade Organization (WTO) adopted the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, which established a global, legally binding framework that limits subsidies for vessels and operators engaged in IUU fishing, or fishing of overfished or unassessed stocks, or fishing of unregulated stocks in waters beyond any nation’s jurisdiction.
Regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) have many tools available to combat IUU fishing and improve ocean governance. Strong and effective RFMO direction helps countries provide oversight and governance for their fishing fleets to ensure that they meet international mandates – including those in the WTO agreement.