Assessing and Managing Fishing Capacity in the Context of World Trade Organization Disciplines on Fisheries Subsidies

The document addresses the challenge of managing fishing capacity amid WTO negotiations to prohibit capacity-enhancing subsidies. It notes that the global fleet grew to 4.56 million vessels by 2018, coinciding with declines in stock abundance and catches per unit effort. To manage overcapacity, coastal states must define objectives, assess capacity, and implement monitoring measures, using qualitative indicators like profitability and fishers' knowledge in data-poor environments.

• The global fishing fleet has grown continuously since the 1950s, reaching 4.56 million vessels in 2018, which has been linked to declines in stock abundance and catches per unit effort (CPUE) across nearly all regions.
• Managing overcapacity requires coastal states to follow a process of defining management objectives, assessing current and target capacity, implementing measures, and monitoring activities.
• In fisheries lacking sufficient data or involving multiple species, quantitative information can be supplemented by qualitative indicators, including trends in profitability, season length, CPUE, and the knowledge of fishers.
• WTO negotiations are considering prohibitions on capacity-enhancing support, such as subsidies for fuel, vessel equipment, and construction or modernization, unless members can prove they maintain stocks at biologically sustainable levels.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2021). Assessing and Managing Fishing Capacity in the Context of World Trade Organization Disciplines on Fisheries Subsidies. https://www.iisd.org/publications/fishing-capacity-world-trade-organization-fisheries-subsidies

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Assessing and Managing Fishing Capacity in the Context of World Trade Organization Disciplines on Fisheries Subsidies. 2021. https://www.iisd.org/publications/fishing-capacity-world-trade-organization-fisheries-subsidies.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Assessing and Managing Fishing Capacity in the Context of World Trade Organization Disciplines on Fisheries Subsidies |date=20 April 2021 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/fishing-capacity-world-trade-organization-fisheries-subsidies |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2021assessing, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Assessing and Managing Fishing Capacity in the Context of World Trade Organization Disciplines on Fisheries Subsidies}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2021}, month = apr, url = {https://www.iisd.org/publications/fishing-capacity-world-trade-organization-fisheries-subsidies}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }