India to seek fairer deal in fisheries at WTO's Ministerial Conference
New Delhi, May 26: India will seek certain "carve-outs" to ensure special and differential treatment for developing nations that are not quite engaged in distant water fishing in the World Trade Organization's (WTO) 12th Ministerial Conference to be held between June 12-15 at Geneva, sources informed on Wednesday.
India also wants a 25-year exemption for these nations from overfishing subsidy prohibition so that they can have some policy space to develop their vastly-underdeveloped distant water fishing industry.
Meanwhile, it also suggests big subsidisers abolish their dole-outs for fishing in areas beyond their exclusive economic zones (200 nautical miles) within these 25 years, which will then set the stage for developing countries to follow suit.
When compared to advanced fishing nations, most developing countries' per capita fisheries subsidies are minuscule. Countries like India, which have yet to acquire large fishing capacities, cannot be expected to give up future policy space because some members have provided substantial subsidies to overexploit fisheries resources and are allowed to participate in unsustainable fishing.
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According to sources, India requires special and differential treatment to protect poor fishers' livelihoods and address a nation's food security concerns, as well as the necessary policy space for developing the fisheries sector and enough time to put in place systems to implement the disciplines under overcapacity and overfishing, illegal, unreported, unregulated, and overfished.
According to sources, the fisheries agreement must be viewed in the light of existing international agreements and maritime regulations.
The sovereign rights of coastal governments to investigate and manage the living resources under their maritime jurisdiction, as enshrined in international instruments, must be protected.
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-PTC News
