Ambitious subsidy reform by the WTO presents opportunities for ocean health restoration
Journal
Sustainability Science
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2020-09-28
Author(s)
Christopher Costello
;
Katherine Millage
;
;
Elsa Galarza
;
Gakushi Ishimura
;
Laura Lea Rubino
;
Vienna Saccomanno
;
U. Rashid Sumaila
;
Kent Strauss
Abstract
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is in a unique position to deliver on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14.6 by reforming global fisheries subsidies in 2020. Yet, a number of unanswered questions threaten to inhibit WTO delegates from crafting a smart agreement that improves global fisheries health. We combine global data on industrial fishing activity, subsidies, and stock assessments to show that: (1) subsidies prop up fishing effort all across the world’s ocean and (2) larger subsidies tend to occur in fisheries that are poorly managed. When combined, this evidence suggests that subsidy reform could have geographically-extensive consequences for many of the world’s largest fisheries. While much work remains to establish causality and make quantitative predictions, this evidence informs the rapidly-evolving policy debate and we conclude with actionable policy suggestions.
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
Yes
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Volume
16
Number
4
Subject(s)