Experts Call for Differential Treatment of Developing Nations on WTO Fisheries Subsidy Negotiations

KOCHI:
A panel of experts has called for differential treatment of developing nations on the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, emphasising the need to protect the livelihoods of millions of small-scale fishermen while India negotiates at the platform.

Fishery scientists, economists, and experts on trade, investment, and law attended the meeting which was organized 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, Dr 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 Organization (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.

Prof. 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 organizations 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.

Dr M Karthikeyan, Director of Marine Products Exports Development Authority (MPEDA); Dr. S Amirthalingam at Tamil Nadu National Law University; Dr. Kishore Dhavala, Dean at Nalanda University, Bihar; Dr P S Ananthan, Principal Scientist at ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Mumbai; and Sunanda Tewari, Legal Consultant at Centre for Trade and Investment Law, New Delhi spoke at the panel discussion.

BOBP-IGO Director Dr P Krishnan was the moderator of the discussion. He highlighted the plans of the Organisation in sensitizing 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.