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.