This discussion paper analyzes the different approaches under discussion in the World Trade Organization fisheries subsidies negotiations for new rules on subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing.
The paper argues that achieving the development priorities articulated in the negotiations mandate—food security as well as broader industrial development—in the long and short terms requires a balance between flexibilities for further subsidization and ensuring that subsidies do not deplete the fish stocks on which food security and successful industrial development depend.
The paper examines how the different proposed approaches balance the mandate’s priorities. It then examines how the various proposed approaches relate to the negotiating mandate’s environmental and development priorities. It provides a high-level analysis of the value of combining different approaches to find a balance that ensures that rules can contribute to development priorities in both the short and long terms. To read the full paper, refer to the IISD website.
