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

This policy brief discusses the management of fishing capacity within the framework of World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations to prohibit subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing.

• The global fishing fleet grew to 4.56 million vessels by 2018, a trend since the 1950s that has coincided with a decrease in stock abundance and catches per unit effort (CPUE) across nearly all regions.
• Managing overcapacity requires coastal states to set objectives, assess current and target capacity, apply management measures, and monitor activities. In fisheries lacking sufficient data or involving multiple species, quantitative data can be supplemented by qualitative indicators such as fishers' knowledge, season length, profitability trends, or CPUE.
• WTO negotiations are considering prohibitions on capacity-enhancing support, including subsidies for vessel equipment, fuel, and construction or modernization. These prohibitions may be waived if a member can prove it uses measures to keep the relevant fishery stock at a biologically sustainable level.

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} }