WTO Summit | Developed nations industrial fishing fleets should be held responsible for overfishing: Commerce Minister

Fisherman in India (Representative image)

Developed nations with huge industrial fleets of vessels that have systematically exploited oceanic resources and contributed to overfishing should be held responsible and a stronger global regime should be enforced to rein them in, Commerce and Industry Minister Goyal has said at the ongoing 12th ministerial conference at the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Speaking at a special intervention on the issue of fishing rights, Goyal stressed that fishing subsidies should be checked to ensure marine wealth is not exploited. However, he said it should be divided on a differentiated basis since a country like India with nearly 9 million families receiving meager government subsidies can't be equated with industrial nations with huge trawler fleets receiving fuel subsidies.

The once-in-two-year mega meeting of trade ministers from all 164 World Trade Organization (WTO) member nations, which legislate on global trade has seen tense discussions on how to bring down overfishing and maintain claims over country's rights to fish undisturbed in their waters.

A long-planned, but never enforced global deal at the WTO aims to ban fishing subsidies to protect marine ecosystems from overfishing. The WTO has been entrusted with the important task of fixing rules on fishing subsidies by world leaders. Called the Decision on Fisheries Subsidies, aims to comply with global sustainability goals and commit members to prohibit government subsidies.

The members have also pledged to eliminate subsidies that contribute to illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. However, this rule will have clauses allowing special and differential treatment for developing and least-developed countries, which are heavily dependent on fishing for food and income.

However, India has pointed out that it does not actively stop nations indiscriminately exploiting the fisheries resources in others' Extended Economic Zones. It has therefore called for a stronger deal emphasizing the principles of ‘common but differentiated responsibility and ‘polluter pays'.

Industrial nations culprit

The Minister has pointed out that many nations from both hemispheres allowed their gigantic industrial fleets to exploit and plunder the ocean's wealth over the past several decades, leading to highly unsustainable fishing.

"In contrast, India maintained fleets of modest size that largely fished in its Exclusive Economic Zone, operating with passive gear and leaving bare minimum footprints on the seascape," he stressed.

According to the latest projections by the Food and Agriculture Organization under the United Nations, there are an estimated 67,800 fishing vessels globally of at least 24 meter in length. Goyal said most of them were in Oceania, Europe, and North America. He also referred to a recent study that found that the large fishing vessels, making up only 5 percent of the global fleet constituted more than 33 percent of the total engine power.

FAO data also shows that fish stocks are at risk of collapsing in many parts of the world due to overexploitation. It is estimated that 34 percent of the global stocks are overfished, compared to 10 percent in 1974. In other words, they are being exploited at a pace where the fish population cannot replenish itself.

Accordingly, India has reiterated its position that advanced fishing nations own the responsibility for the damage caused to the global fisheries wealth, especially on the high seas which are also the common heritage of humankind.

"India would strongly urge that Distant Water Fishing Nations should be subject to a moratorium on giving any kind of subsidies for 25 years for fishing or fishing-related activities beyond their EEZ. It is essential, that they transfer these capacities to the Developing countries and LDCs to give them a chance to grow," Goyal said.

Lowest subsidies

Goyal has also drawn attention to the traditional and small-scale in nature of India's fisheries sector. India's subsidies are one of the lowest and it doesn't operate huge fishing fleets to exploit the resources indiscriminately like any other advanced fishing nation.

For every fisher family in the country, India gives barely $15 annually while there are countries here, which give as high as $42,000, $65,000 & $75,000 per fishermen family, he said.

WTO members are discussing whether to set the limit at nations with less than 0.7 per cent or ,0.8 percent of the global marine catch.

“A de-minimis on the global catch basis without reference to the fishing, the fishermen families involved, the size of the nation, the size of the population being supported is a completely arbitrary and unfair situation," Goyal said.

"Whether 0. 7 or 0.8 per cent, it does not take into account that an African country maybe supporting 220 million people population or possibly supporting a very large number of fishermen against another country which maybe supporting a 2 million – 3 million population and ten thousand fisherman, how can the de-minimis be the same for all sets of people,” he added.

India has also pointed out the sustainable harnessing of its fish & aquatic resources. Indian Fishermen practice voluntary restraint for 61 days in a year to allow Fish to grow and regenerate. In the Arabian sea, it is stopped from 1 June to 31 July. In the Bay of Bengal, it is stopped from 15 April to 14 June.

"We are also extremely concerned with the proposed prohibition limited to only specific fuel subsidies and leaving out the non-specific fuel subsidies. In the total fisheries subsidies, the share of fuel subsidies is estimated to be around 22 percent, which is mostly in the form of non-specific fuel subsidies," the Minister pointed out.