Une exploration des impacts potentiels des règles de l’OMC sur les subventions à la pêche : Le cas de la pêcherie de sardinelles en Afrique de l’Ouest

The report analyzes how WTO rules targeting illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, overexploited stocks, and overcapacity would affect the sardinella fishery in West Africa. It finds that most industrial and artisanal fleets in the region, particularly those from Senegal, Mauritania, and the EU, rely on subsidies—especially fuel and access subsidies—to remain economically viable. The document argues that while removing these subsidies would likely lead to stock recovery and long-term profitability, it could cause short-term socio-economic hardship for artisanal fishers. It recommends a phased approach, prioritizing the removal of industrial subsidies first, and emphasizes the need for improved monitoring, control, and surveillance (MCS) to prevent a shift toward IUU fishing.

• Sardinella stocks in West Africa have been considered overexploited since 2006, with biomass for the round sardinella reaching levels around 25% of the biomass at maximum sustainable yield (BMSY) in recent years.
• Many fishing activities targeting sardinelles in the region are not economically viable without subsidies, specifically the industrial fleets of Mauritania and the EU and the artisanal fleet of Senegal, all of which benefit from fuel subsidies.
• EU pelagic freezer trawlers operating in Mauritania rely on a combination of fuel subsidies and financial contributions from the EU for access; without these, operational costs would exceed revenues by approximately 30%.
• In Senegal, fuel subsidies for the artisanal fleet increased from less than 422,000 USD in 1981 to nearly 17 million USD in 2017.
• The report estimates that the sardinella fishery in Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, and Senegal generated a landing value of approximately 300 million USD in 2014, with the artisanal sector generating 160 million USD and the industrial sector 137 million USD.
• Regarding IUU fishing, the report suggests that identification by the coastal state is the most effective option for triggering subsidy prohibitions because it is the most common way IUU activities are identified.
• An interdiction of subsidies for overexploited stocks would likely lead to a significant decrease in overall fishing effort, potentially allowing stocks to recover and increasing long-term profitability for remaining vessels.
• The report argues for a phased approach to subsidy removal, suggesting that prohibitions should first target the industrial sector to reduce competition and increase catch opportunities for the artisanal sector before applying restrictions to the latter.
• The removal of fuel subsidies would cause immediate economic losses for Senegalese artisanal fishers, with estimated net losses of 5% for purse seine pirogues and 17% for encircling gillnet pirogues.
• The report identifies a risk that the removal of subsidies could drive fishers toward more harmful IUU practices, such as dynamite fishing or fishing in protected areas, to compensate for lost income.

APA

Belhabib, D. (2019). Une exploration des impacts potentiels des règles de l’OMC sur les subventions à la pêche : Le cas de la pêcherie de sardinelles en Afrique de l’Ouest. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/subventions-peche-sardinelles-afrique-ouest-fr.pdf

Chicago

Belhabib, Dyhia. Une exploration des impacts potentiels des règles de l’OMC sur les subventions à la pêche : Le cas de la pêcherie de sardinelles en Afrique de l’Ouest. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2019. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/subventions-peche-sardinelles-afrique-ouest-fr.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Belhabib |first1=Dyhia |title=Une exploration des impacts potentiels des règles de l’OMC sur les subventions à la pêche : Le cas de la pêcherie de sardinelles en Afrique de l’Ouest |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=December 2019 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/subventions-peche-sardinelles-afrique-ouest-fr.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{belhabib2019une, author = {Belhabib, Dyhia}, title = {{Une exploration des impacts potentiels des règles de l’OMC sur les subventions à la pêche : Le cas de la pêcherie de sardinelles en Afrique de l’Ouest}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2019}, month = dec, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/subventions-peche-sardinelles-afrique-ouest-fr.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }