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

The document examines the relationship between fishing capacity, overcapacity, and overfishing within the context of WTO negotiations to prohibit harmful fisheries subsidies. It defines key technical terms based on FAO guidelines, distinguishes between input and output measures of capacity, and outlines a four-level data framework for monitoring. The brief highlights that global fisheries are largely overcapitalized, with a significant increase in vessel numbers and engine power from 1950 to 2015, contributing to a decline in stock abundance and productivity.

• WTO negotiations are considering prohibitions on subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, though draft texts include exceptions if members can demonstrate management measures that maintain stocks at biologically sustainable levels using maximum sustainable yield (MSY) or alternative reference points.
• Fishing capacity can be measured via inputs (fleet characteristics like gross registered tonnage or horsepower) or outputs (the maximum amount of fish that can be produced if fully utilized). The FAO recommends using both to facilitate international cooperation.
• Overcapacity is a long-term mismatch between actual resources used and those needed to meet management objectives, whereas excess capacity is a short-term phenomenon driven by fluctuating environmental or economic factors.
• The FAO identifies four levels of data availability for monitoring capacity, ranging from Level 0 (little or no quantitative data) to Level 4 (detailed biological information on stocks, including biomass and fishing mortality rates). Level 3 is considered the desired standard for estimation.
• Global fishing capacity increased significantly between 1950 and 2015, with the number of vessels growing from 1.7 to 3.7 million and engine power increasing more than sevenfold from 19.5 GW to 145.9 GW.
• Regional trends in fleet growth vary; while vessel numbers decreased in Europe, North America, and North East Asia, they grew more than sixfold in South East Asia and fivefold in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Evidence of global overcapacity is indicated by a systematic decline in catch per unit effort (CPUE) and stock abundance across virtually all regions, alongside the FAO estimate that stocks fished at biologically unsustainable levels rose from 10% in 1974 to 34.2% in 2017.

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/system/files/2021-04/fishing-capacity-wto-fisheries-subsidies.pdf

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/system/files/2021-04/fishing-capacity-wto-fisheries-subsidies.pdf.

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=April 2021 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-04/fishing-capacity-wto-fisheries-subsidies.pdf |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/system/files/2021-04/fishing-capacity-wto-fisheries-subsidies.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }