India will not agree to an “asymmetrical”  agreement on reducing fisheries subsidies that contribute to overfishing and will insist on specific carveouts to protect its resource poor fishers and preserve the space to develop its capacities at the WTO, officials have said. 

“In India, the livelihood of 9 million people, mostly resource-poor, dependent on fishing, has to be protected. New Delhi has demanded that poor fishers should be exempt from all subsidy cuts irrespective of where they fish, while all fishers in developing nations should be exempt from subsidy cuts for fishing within the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of 200 nautical miles,” an official tracking the matter said.

A third demand has also been made for a 25 year exemption to developing nations from subsidy cuts for fishing in RFMO (waters beyond EEZ) that will help them to develop their fishing capacities. These demands are part of special & differential treatment for developing nations.

Trade Ministers from 164 WTO nations will be in Abu Dhabi on February 24-29 to work out a agreements in several areas including curbing fisheries subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing.

A partial agreement on curbing harmful fisheries subsidies, to curb illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, was agreed to at the previous WTO MC12 in 2021 but only about 55 nations have adopted it yet against a requirement of 110. 

“In the last 200-300 years, developed nations have developed deep sea capacities by acquiring big mechanised vessels and exploiting marine resources. Because now there is a hue and cry of resources getting depleted, they don’t want others to come in, while they would like to continue their position. It is a club kind of a thing,” the official said.

‘ Room to develop’

India has maintained that developing nations and LDCs have to be given room to develop. “If you have already developed doesn’t mean that others should not develop. If there is an environmental concern it should be equitably shared. Because rich nations have different capacities or levels of development, they should take on more cuts. They should reduce their space so that others can come in,” the official added.

WTO members such as the EU, Japan, Norway and the US undertake distant water fishing and provide huge subsidies to their fishing community. China, which is not a developed nation, is also one of the largest subsidisers.

According to UNCTAD,  about 34 per cent of global marine fish stocks have fallen to biologically unsustainable levels and overfishing generate losses of about $88.9 billion due to forgone net benefits.

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