Exploración de los Posibles Impactos de las Reglas de la OMC Sobre Subsidios a la Pesca: El Caso del Camarón en la Costa Oeste de América Latina

This report examines the potential impacts of World Trade Organization (WTO) rules on fishing subsidies, specifically focusing on shrimp fisheries in the Tropical Eastern Pacific. It analyzes how prohibitions on subsidies for illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, overcapacity, and overexploited populations could affect industrial and artisanal fleets in Latin American countries.

• Shrimp fisheries in the Tropical Eastern Pacific are highly valuable, generating approximately USD 194 million annually as of 2014 and supporting at least 140,000 jobs.
• Many shrimp populations in the Tropical Eastern Pacific are overexploited, characterized by a trend of decreasing total landings and a sequential overexploitation of species as fleets move to new areas and deeper waters.
• IUU fishing is common in the region, involving fishing during closed seasons or in protected zones, as well as the incidental capture of protected species. Bycatch is estimated to comprise about 80% of the total catch of shrimp fleets in the study area, with 70% of that bycatch being discarded at sea.
• Fishing subsidies in the region primarily take the form of fuel subsidies (via direct price support or tax exemptions) and support for the maintenance and renewal of vessels and equipment. These subsidies mostly benefit the industrial sector, which is often vertically integrated and focused on exports.
• The impact of subsidy prohibitions varies by fleet: in Mexico, subsidies appear critical for the profitability of industrial shrimp vessels, whereas in Costa Rica, they increase profit margins but are not essential for operation. Artisanal fishing in Sinaloa, Mexico, suggests the activity could be profitable long-term without subsidies, though they remain important during low-catch seasons.
• Efforts to limit fishing fleets and reduce fuel subsidies in Mexico, Nicaragua, Ecuador, and Panama have shown evidence of population recovery in the first three countries, with total catches even increasing in Mexico.
• Industrial shrimp trawling has been completely suspended in Costa Rica and Ecuador due to negative impacts on bycatch species, economic losses for artisanal fishing, and threats to food security. Ecuador has subsequently shifted its shrimp production focus toward aquaculture, becoming a leading global producer.

APA

Cisneros-Montemayor, A. M., & Clarke, T. M. (2019). Exploración de los Posibles Impactos de las Reglas de la OMC Sobre Subsidios a la Pesca: El Caso del Camarón en la Costa Oeste de América Latina. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/subsidios-pesca-camaron-america-latina-informe-es.pdf

Chicago

Cisneros-Montemayor, Andrés M., and Tayler M. Clarke. Exploración de los Posibles Impactos de las Reglas de la OMC Sobre Subsidios a la Pesca: El Caso del Camarón en la Costa Oeste de América Latina. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2019. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/subsidios-pesca-camaron-america-latina-informe-es.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Cisneros-Montemayor |first1=Andrés M. |last2=Clarke |first2=Tayler M. |title=Exploración de los Posibles Impactos de las Reglas de la OMC Sobre Subsidios a la Pesca: El Caso del Camarón en la Costa Oeste de América Latina |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=December 2019 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/subsidios-pesca-camaron-america-latina-informe-es.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cisnerosmontemayor2019exploracin, author = {Cisneros-Montemayor, Andrés M. and Clarke, Tayler M.}, title = {{Exploración de los Posibles Impactos de las Reglas de la OMC Sobre Subsidios a la Pesca: El Caso del Camarón en la Costa Oeste de América Latina}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2019}, month = dec, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/subsidios-pesca-camaron-america-latina-informe-es.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }