This year the World Trade Organization (WTO) is pushing to reach an agreement on the use of subsidies for fishing, a deal that will have widespread impacts on small-scale and artisanal fisherfolk around the world. While the negotiations on fisheries subsidies began over 18 years ago, they received a renewed boost with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The
By Adam Wolfenden This week members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) will be meeting to discuss rules for curbing fisheries subsidies that, if currently accepted, will undermine the sovereignty and control of Pacific Ocean resources by Pacific Island Countries. An outcome like what is being proposed will benefit those countries that have already built their fleet capacities, giving them