9 September 1998
DISTANT WATER FISHING THREATENS WORLD FISHERIES
New WWF Report Finds Overcapacity, Subsidies to Blame
BRUSSELS, Belgium: Oversized, distant water fishing fleets are pillaging the world's oceans, often in the
waters of developing countries where they threaten the existence of local fisheries, WWF warned today.
A new WWF report, entitled The Footprint of Distant Water Fleets on World Fisheries, finds that the size
and catching power of distant water fleets grew enormously after World War II, fuelled by government
subsidies and new markets for frozen fish. The declaration of 200-mile exclusive economic zones by
most coastal nations in the 1970's severely limited the availability of new fishing grounds. Since
then, distant water fleets have had to scramble for access to rich coastal waters or take their
chances on the increasingly crowded high seas.
"Distant water fishing fleets are increasingly jeopardizing the health of world fisheries," said Michael
Sutton, director of WWF's Endangered Seas Campaign. "These fleets are the result of an overcapitalized
fishing industry, supported by massive government subsidies."
According to recent estimates, the world's top fishing nations, including China, Japan, the United
States, the Russian Federation, Norway, Korea, and the European Union, pay between $15 and $50 billion
each year in fishing subsidies. Many of these subsidies support already overcapitalized distant water
fleets. In 1996, for example, the EU spent $252 million -- one-third of its annual fisheries budget -- on
access agreements for its distant water fleets alone. According to the WWF report released today, more
than 90 percent of subsidies to the fishing industry are administered in violation of current international
trade rules.
"WWF is particularly concerned about the impact of distant water fleets on local fishers in the developing
world," said Tony Long, Director of WWF's European Policy Office. "Artisanal fishers in places like West
Africa, Asia, and Latin America today often lose out to offshore fleets of enormous catching power from
Europe and elsewhere." Distant water fishing nations often coerce access to coastal fisheries and
frequently offer compensation far below the true value of the catch.
On the high seas, unregulated distant water fleets take a heavy toll on remote, unprotected fisheries.
A new WWF video news release shows distant water vessels from a number of countries caught plundering
rich stocks of Patagonian toothfish, also known as Chilean sea bass, in the Southern Ocean around
Antarctica. The remoteness of this area allows poachers to operate with virtual impunity.
"WWF urges distant water fishing nations to cut the size of fleets, discipline their subsidies to the
fisheries sector, and strictly control the activities of their remaining vessels," said Sutton. "The
health of marine environment and the future of millions of people who depend upon healthy fisheries for
their livelihoods is at stake."
For more information and a copy of the WWF report, contact:
Leigh Ann Hurt, WWF's Endangered Seas Campaign, tel +44 1483 419294;
or Martin Hiller, WWF European Policy Office, tel +32 2 743 8806
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