Fisheries

Over-fishing, often supported by government subsidies, and illegal fishing are to blame for the current state of fish stocks, where just under 90% of stocks are still either overfished or fished at their maximum sustainable level, with 38% exploited beyond sustainable levels. Governments are paying an estimated $22 billion a year in subsidies that allow industrial fishing fleets to fish farther out to sea and for longer periods of time thanks to lower fuel and vessel construction costs. The World Trade Organization has been involved in drawn-out negotiations aimed at phasing out harmful subsidies for years. The Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, adopted in 2022 but yet to enter into force, prohibits giving subsidies that enable (1) illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, (2) fishing of overfished stocks or (3) fishing of unmanaged stocks on the High Seas. This is however not the end of the story: many issues remain, particularly those related to overfishing and overcapacity. See the PEW charitable trusts analysis here.

Control of illegal fisheries, indeed control of any activity on the open ocean, is a massive challenge. The governance structure may be in place on paper but putting this into practice is another story. States are poorly equipped to monitor, control and therefore protect their own waters, let alone the High Seas, which is where NGOs like Global Fishing Watch using the latest technology can step in to fill the gap. Find out how here.