India seeks strong WTO subsidy rules for high seas fishing

New Delhi: India has pitched at the WTO for stricter regulations on subsidies granted by countries that are engaged in high seas fishing activities, an official said.

Highlighting the stark disparity, an Indian document submitted at the World Trade Organization (WTO) has noted that it provides a modest $35 per fisher annually, compared to subsidies as high as $76,000 per fisher per year in some European nations.

India also suggested that historical subsidisers should seek permission of the Committee on Fisheries Subsidies for grant of subsidies in future.

The country has made these remarks in the meetings of the Negotiating Group on Rules (Fisheries subsidies), which are going on in Geneva.

"India has pitched for strong disciplines for historical fisheries subsidisers which are engaged in distant water fishing (200 nautical miles from sea shore) and has asked for a moratorium on subsidies at the present level for 25 years," the official said.

On these demands, India was supported by countries like Indonesia and other developing countries, the official added.

"Blaming India for stalling the decision at the GC (General Council) is merely an excuse and a tactic to push for weak disciplines, allowing business as usual to continue," the official said adding WTO members engaged in distant water fishing should stop providing any kind of subsidies for 25 years as they provide significantly higher support measures and are indiscriminately exploiting the fisheries resources.

The General Council is the WTO's highest-level decision-making body in Geneva, meeting regularly to carry out the functions of the WTO. It has representatives (usually ambassadors or equivalent) from all member governments and has the authority to act on behalf of the Ministerial Conference.

India has also called for adopting a 'per capita distribution of subsidies' criteria to address concerns over overfishing and capacity under the WTO framework, according to the document.

The document - Designing Disciplines For the Overcapacity and Overfishing Pillar:A case for intensity-based subsidies approach - was submitted by India and it would come up for discussion in the General Council meeting of the WTO at Geneva on December 16-17.

The issue is being negotiated at the WTO as the member countries are discussing reaching an agreement on disciplining subsidies that lead to overfishing and overcapacity.

In 2022, the countries finalised a pact on stopping subsidies for illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activities.

It has added that the annual aggregate level of fisheries subsidies cannot be the correct measure as these support measures include beneficial as well as subsistence subsidies that are linked to livelihood which in no way contribute to overcapacity and overfishing.

Countries like Norway, China, Japan and the US undertake distant water fishing and provide huge subsidies to their fishing community.

India's fisheries sector is traditional and small-scale in nature and it is essentially one of the disciplined nations in sustainably harnessing the fisheries resources.