Support to Fuel Consumption for Fisheries

The document examines the prevalence and scale of fuel subsidies in the fisheries sector, highlighting a significant gap between reported WTO notifications and actual support levels. It finds that while both OECD and non-OECD countries use fuel tax concessions and direct price support to maintain fisher competitiveness and income stability, such measures often lead to unsustainable fishing levels. The brief emphasizes the need for greater transparency and the application of fossil fuel subsidy reform lessons to achieve sustainable fisheries management.

• Fuel support is a major component of fisheries subsidies globally; one estimate for 2018 values total fisheries subsidies at USD 35.4 billion, with USD 7.7 billion specifically allocated to fuel, of which USD 5.9 billion was granted in developing countries.
• Fuel support is widespread across both developed and developing nations. Among 29 OECD economies, nine use fuel tax concessions and one uses market price support, totaling approximately USD 330.8 million in 2017. Among 14 surveyed non-OECD economies, eight use either tax concessions or direct price support, totaling about USD 2.257 billion in 2017.
• China and Indonesia provide the largest amounts of fuel support among non-OECD economies, with China's direct fuel support amounting to approximately USD 2 billion and Indonesia's fuel tax exemptions reaching USD 133 million.
• There is a significant lack of transparency and a disparity in data reporting within the WTO. Many fuel subsidies are missing from ASCM notifications, as members often use a restrictive definition of 'specificity' or implement universal pricing policies that are not accounted for in fisheries discussions.
• While governments use fuel subsidies to protect fishers' incomes and competitiveness against oil price volatility, evidence suggests these measures are the least likely to support long-term income and may instead encourage unsustainable production levels.

APA

Moerenhout, T. (2019). Support to Fuel Consumption for Fisheries. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/support-to-fuel-consumption%20-fisheries.pdf

Chicago

Moerenhout, Tom. Support to Fuel Consumption for Fisheries. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2019. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/support-to-fuel-consumption%20-fisheries.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Moerenhout |first1=Tom |title=Support to Fuel Consumption for Fisheries |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=December 2019 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/support-to-fuel-consumption%20-fisheries.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{moerenhout2019support, author = {Moerenhout, Tom}, title = {{Support to Fuel Consumption for Fisheries}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2019}, month = dec, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/support-to-fuel-consumption%20-fisheries.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }