Press Release Index
June 2, 1997
REVIVING MARINE ECOSYSTEMS: THE NEED FOR SUBSIDIES REFORM
GENEVA, Switzerland -- The United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP) and WWF-World Wide
Fund For Nature today urged the world's top fishing nations
to urgently reform the $50 billion plus subsidies package
that fuels fishing vessel over-capacity, and deepens the
crisis in global fisheries.
Though the global fisheries crisis has been recognized for
many years, multilateral institutions have failed to address
the trade and environmental problems associated with
subsidized fishing. UNEP and WWF have jointly organized
a two-day workshop (2-3 June) on "The role of trade
policies in the fishing sector" at the Palais des Nations. The
aim is to initiate development of policy recommendations
and strategies to shift trade in fish products on to a
sustainable basis.
"Governments need to agree on a subsidies reform package
sooner rather than later," said Dr. Claude Martin, Director
General of WWF International. "For too long, economic
instruments have been sending the wrong signals -
continuous buildup in fishing fleet overcapacity, promoting distant water fishing with little or no
controls, and encouraging fisherfolk to remain in an unprofitable business."
During the past four decades, the capacity of world fishing fleets has increased fivefold, while
the productivity of most of the world's major fishing areas has declined. Since 1983, most
increases in global catch have come primarily from five low-value species. The world's fishing
industry spends $124 billion to generate revenues worth $70 billion - thus attracting a subsidy
of one sort or another to the tune of an estimated $54 billion each year.
"One fish species after another is being pushed to commercial extinction," said Hussein Abaza,
Chief of UNEPs Economics, Trade and Environment Unit. "A whole new range of economic
incentives needs to be put in place to encourage a rebound in global fisheries. A package of
policy options needs to be introduced to maintain the sustainability of the marine ecosystems,
the fisheries and millions of people who depend on them for food and jobs."
Particularly vulnerable are species which congregate to spawn, such as haddock, cod, and
grouper, and species that migrate across a number of national fishing zones and are heavily
fished in each zone, such as tuna, billfish and sharks.
In separate reports released at the workshop today, WWF and UNEP examine case studies
on the European-African fishing agreements; the Newfoundland fishery problems and policy
responses; and the Japanese government aid for distant water tuna fleets, with special
reference to the Solomon Islands. In addition, the reports focus on the possibilities of buy-back
programmes as a means of reducing over-fishing due to subsidies, and "the role of trade
policies in the fishing sector."
Note: A WWF Video News Release "Fishing Subsidies" focussing on the effects of European
Union fishing fleet off the coast of Senegal, released today, is also available. Contact:
Someshwar Singh of WWF at +41 22 3649553 or Deborah Vorhies of UNEP at +41 22979
9288 or Gertrud Attar at +41 22 979 9234.
|