Fisheries Subsidies in Major Non-EU Fishing Nations
A new study for the European Commission compiles data and information on fisheries subsidies within six of the world's major fishing countries: Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, China, Russia and the United States.
The study finds that subsidies for catch fisheries play a significant role in China, Taiwan, Japan, the US and South Korea, while aquaculture subsidies are the highest in Russia and China. The biggest subsidies go towards research, infrastructure, fuel (China) and insurance (Japan).
The European Union is pushing to ban harmful fisheries subsidies that contribute to unsustainable fishing, in line with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 14, which calls on the world to conserve and sustainably use the oceans.
The two most damaging types of subsidies are those that increase the fish-catching capacity of fleets and those for fishermen who engage in illegal fishing activities.
The EU has proposed to relaunch negotiations within the World Trade Organisation to end these types of aid. Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella and Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmström outlined the Commission's proposal for the negotiations in a joint blog post.
