Can new global treaty talks help prevent overfishing?

Many governments around the world provide subsidies to their countries’ fishing fleets. These are usually promoted as efforts to help small-scale fishers, but often end up subsidizing over-fishing and even the plundering of other countries’ fish stocks. Global treaty negotiations, due to be completed this year, are currently underway at the World Trade Organization. What are the problems and the prospects for reform?

This webinar is specifically aimed at helping journalists better understand marine subsidies issues and features some of the world’s experts on the subject.
 

Speakers:

• Kat Millage - Project Researcher, Environmental Market Solutions Lab, University of California at Santa Barbara
• Anna Schuhbauer - Fisheries Scientist, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, The University of British Columbia
• Daniel Skerritt - Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Fisheries Economics Research Unit, The University of British Columbia

Moderator:

• Paul Greenberg - Fisheries Journalist and Author

Resources:

The panelists have provided their contact details and links to many academic resources for those interested in learning more. Please feel free to email any of the panelists in case you cannot access an article due to a paywall. 

Contact details:

• Kat Millage: [email protected] | @KatMillage on Twitter
• Anna Schuhbauer: [email protected] | @acschuhbauer on Twitter
• Daniel Skerritt: [email protected] | @DanHomarus on Twitter

Peer-reviewed publications:

• Updated estimates and analysis of global fisheries subsidies
• The global fisheries subsidies divide between small- and large-scale fisheries
• Changing the narrative on fisheries subsidies reform: Enabling transitions to achieve SDG 14.6 and beyond
• Busting myths that hinder an agreement to end harmful fisheries subsidies
• The relation between fishing subsidies and CO2 emissions in the fisheries sector
• Broadening the global debate on harmful fisheries subsidies through the use of subsidy intensity metrics
• A global dataset on subsidies to the fisheries sector
• Ambitious subsidy reform by the WTO presents opportunities for ocean health restoration

Technical publications:

• Relative effects of fisheries support policies

Articles: 

• Fisheries subsidies fuel ocean depletion and hurt coastal communities
• China and the EU aren't the only ones to blame for harmful fisheries subsidies