Exploring the Potential Impacts of WTO Fisheries Subsidies Rules: The Case of Sarfinella in West Africa SUMMARY

This report examines how proposed WTO rules to ban fisheries subsidies could impact the sardinella fishery in West Africa (The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, and Senegal). It finds that sardinella stocks have been overfished since 2006, driven in part by fuel and capital subsidies that make otherwise unviable industrial and artisanal fleets profitable. While banning these subsidies could lead to long-term stock recovery and improved sustainability, it poses significant short-term socioeconomic risks to local communities and artisanal fishers, suggesting a need for transitional exceptions and improved monitoring and surveillance.

• Sardinella fishing is critical for food security and employment in West Africa, with catches in the artisanal and industrial sectors estimated at over 700,000 tonnes in 2014. The total landing value for the waters of The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, and Senegal was nearly USD 300 million in 2014, split between the artisanal sector (USD 160 million) and the industrial sector (USD 137 million). The sector supports more than 160,000 jobs, including 17,500 in artisanal fishing, 1,700 in industrial fishing, and 145,000 in related activities like processing.
• Sardinella stocks have been considered overfished since 2006 due to increased fishing capacity and effort. This overexploitation is driven by inefficient fisheries management and various subsidy programs for both industrial and artisanal sectors, which have maintained fishing pressure despite reduced profitability and catch per unit of effort.
• Many fishing fleets targeting sardinellas are not economically viable without subsidies. Fuel subsidies are specifically identified as critical for the profitability of industrial fleets flying the Mauritanian flag, artisanal fleets in Senegal, and industrial fleets from European Union (EU) member states. Additionally, Senegal provides subsidies for capital costs, such as engine acquisition, and it is probable that China provides fuel subsidies to its industrial fleets in the region.
• A WTO prohibition on subsidies for overfished stocks would have a very significant impact because sardinella stocks are already considered overfished. Such a rule would likely lead to a substantial decrease in overall fishing effort due to lost profitability for fleets from Senegal, Mauritania, the EU, and potentially China. While this could lead to long-term stock recovery and increased profitability for remaining vessels, it could cause severe short-term socioeconomic harm, particularly for Senegal's artisanal sector.
• Regarding subsidies contributing to overcapacity and overfishing, the most profound impact would come from targeting fuel subsidies. Prohibiting subsidies for access to other countries' waters and activities beyond a WTO member's exclusive economic zone would primarily affect the industrial sector. The document suggests an exception for the artisanal sector—potentially as a transitional measure—because it is essential for poverty reduction and food security, and alternative livelihoods for these fishers are very limited.
• A prohibition on subsidies that contribute to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing would be most effective if triggered by identification from the coastal state, though a combination of the subsidizing state, flag state, and coastal state is recommended. The effectiveness of such rules depends on the monitoring, control, and surveillance (MCS) capabilities of the states, which are currently described as insufficient.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (n.d.). Exploring the Potential Impacts of WTO Fisheries Subsidies Rules: The Case of Sarfinella in West Africa SUMMARY. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/subventions-peche-sardinelles-afrique-ouest-resume-en.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Exploring the Potential Impacts of WTO Fisheries Subsidies Rules: The Case of Sarfinella in West Africa SUMMARY. n.d. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/subventions-peche-sardinelles-afrique-ouest-resume-en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Exploring the Potential Impacts of WTO Fisheries Subsidies Rules: The Case of Sarfinella in West Africa SUMMARY |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/subventions-peche-sardinelles-afrique-ouest-resume-en.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopmentndexploring, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Exploring the Potential Impacts of WTO Fisheries Subsidies Rules: The Case of Sarfinella in West Africa SUMMARY}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/subventions-peche-sardinelles-afrique-ouest-resume-en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }