{"id":10867,"date":"2025-04-04T15:38:48","date_gmt":"2025-04-04T19:38:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/journals.law.harvard.edu\/ilj\/?p=10867"},"modified":"2025-04-04T15:38:48","modified_gmt":"2025-04-04T19:38:48","slug":"fisheries-fairness-and-the-global-south-a-twail-critique-of-the-agreement-on-fisheries-subsidies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/journals.law.harvard.edu\/ilj\/2025\/04\/fisheries-fairness-and-the-global-south-a-twail-critique-of-the-agreement-on-fisheries-subsidies\/","title":{"rendered":"Fisheries, Fairness, and the Global South: A TWAIL Critique of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>*<strong>Sankari B<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><b>I. Introduction<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Recently, the World Trade Organization\u2019s (\u201cWTO\u201d) <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.wto.org\/dol2fe\/Pages\/SS\/directdoc.aspx?filename=q:\/WT\/MIN22\/33.pdf&amp;Open=True\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> (\u201cAFS\u201d) was adopted during the 12<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">th<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Ministerial Conference in 2022. Being the first multilateral agreement to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (\u201cSDG\u201d), <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/papers.ssrn.com\/sol3\/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4780231\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">AFS was considered a milestone in environmental objectives and ocean sustainability<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. The AFS primarily deals with eliminating fisheries subsidies to regulate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (\u201cIUU Fishing\u201d), which is contained within <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/stats.unctad.org\/Dgff2016\/planet\/goal14\/target_14_6.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">SDG 14.6<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Fisheries subsidies are considered to have damaging effects on \u201ctrade, environment and sustainable development\u201d according to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/book\/10.1007\/978-3-642-15693-9\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Chen <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">in<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Fisheries Subsidies under International Law<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u00a0 They create competitive disadvantages and restrict market access for non-subsidized fish and fish products. Further, they incentivize overfishing, which has a direct impact on ocean sustainability. The latest data on fisheries subsidies indicate that <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0308597X19303677\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">USD 35.4 billion was spent on fisheries subsidies across the globe, with China, the US, and the Republic of Korea, paying the highest on them<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/book\/10.1007\/978-3-642-15693-9\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This issue has caught attention<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> since the 2001 Doha Ministerial Conference. It has finally culminated in the AFS, which offers a skeletal framework for removing fisheries subsidies. However, as evident from Article 12, the AFS is still being negotiated, and the current agreement would stand terminated if comprehensive disciplines are not adopted within four years since the AFS entered into force.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Despite the pernicious nature of fisheries subsidies, developing and least-developed countries (\u201cLDCs\u201d) (collectively, the \u201cGlobal South\u201d) have raised several concerns <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.wto.org\/dol2fe\/Pages\/SS\/directdoc.aspx?filename=q:\/WT\/GC\/W947.pdf&amp;Open=True\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">ranging from the livelihoods of small-scale fishermen to food security issues in countries, which are heavily reliant on fish for nutrition<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. While the existing literature on AFS discusses <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/papers.ssrn.com\/sol3\/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4779953#:~:text=Based%20on%20the%20partial%20economic,countries%20to%20abandon%20fisheries%20subsidies.\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">its potential benefits<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/papers.ssrn.com\/sol3\/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4780270\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">its impact on indigenous communities<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/papers.ssrn.com\/sol3\/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4780213\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">the nature, scope and implications of the agreement<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, there is a limited understanding of how the Global South shaped (or did not shape) the formulation of the AFS.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In this context, this perspective seeks to examine the AFS through the Third World Perspectives on International Law (\u201cTWAIL\u201d) and unpack the voices of the Global South in the negotiations and formulation of the AFS. It argues that the AFS significantly suppressed these voices and could have drastic implications on small-scale and artisanal fishing communities in the Global South.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>II. Unpacking TWAIL in the Context of Trade and Environment<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">BS Chimni, in his <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.elgaronline.com\/edcollchap\/edcoll\/9781848449664\/9781848449664.00014.xml\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Critical Theory and International Economic Law: Third World Approach to International Law (TWAIL ) Perspective<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, argued how mainstream international economic law perceives international economic law as \u201cahistorical,\u201d ignoring the relationship between countries arising from colonialism, neo-colonialism and global imperialism. In the same vein,\u00a0 sustainable development also ignores the intrinsic link between capitalism, imperialism, and nature. The concept can be manipulated by powerful nations and corporations to promote their interests and fails to acknowledge the historical relationship between imperialism and prevalent environmental challenges. Thus, it is argued that neoliberal definitions of international economic law do not ensure sustainability.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wto.org\/english\/docs_e\/legal_e\/14-ag_01_e.htm\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">WTO\u2019s Agreement on Agriculture<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> (\u201cAoA\u201d) illustrates the TWAIL perspective concerning the intersection of trade and environment. The implied promise of agricultural trade liberalization under the AoA is <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalcommons.law.seattleu.edu\/faculty\/569\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">to ensure market access to developing countries and to remove subsidies contributing to the over-exploitation of land through the indiscriminate use of fertilizers and pesticides<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. However, none of these objectives were\u00a0 truly achieved with the developed nations (collectively, the \u201cGlobal North\u201d), which employed liberalization, development, and environmental justice to cement their hegemony.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">First<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/papers.ssrn.com\/sol3\/papers.cfm?abstract_id=987945\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">AoA led to an increase in food imports, along with a decrease in food production<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, adversely impacting food security, poverty, development and the environment. Such an increase in imports had a domino effect on the Global South, including a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalcommons.law.seattleu.edu\/faculty\/569\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">threat<\/span> <\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">to key agricultural sectors crucial for food supply, employment, poverty alleviation and economic development, and environmental damage in developing countries due to chemical-intensive and monocultural modes of agricultural production.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Second<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, the AoA has <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/papers.ssrn.com\/sol3\/papers.cfm?abstract_id=987945\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">institutionalized<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> power imbalances between the Global North and the Global South. It permits past users (the Global North) to maintain export subsidies (subject to minimal reductions) while prohibiting the introduction of new subsidies by developing countries. It has unfairly deprived the Global South of the policy tool to build their agro-export revenue from domestic food production and made the countries therein\u00a0 increasingly import subsidized goods.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>III. Uncovering the Global South Voice in the AFS Negotiations<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">During the AFS negotiations, the Global South had a host of concerns that were brought up during the negotiations. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">First<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, <\/span><b>the Special and Differential Treatment (\u201cSDT\u201d) for the Global South<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wto.org\/english\/thewto_e\/minist_e\/min05_e\/final_annex_e.htm\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">SDT was especially highlighted in the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">,<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> wherein it stressed the vitality of the fisheries sector for the Global South, especially for poverty alleviation, livelihood, and food security concerns. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.wto.org\/dol2fe\/Pages\/SS\/directdoc.aspx?filename=Q:\/TN\/RL\/W210R1.pdf&amp;Open=True\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Small and vulnerable economies have called for an expansive understanding of SDT<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">,<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> including flexibilities for industrial and semi-industrial fishing, length of time to implement the agreement, greater opportunity to consult before any Dispute Settlement Body cases, and technical assistance and capacity building.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Second<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, <\/span><b>non-actionable subsidies<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. It was contended that <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.wto.org\/dol2fe\/Pages\/SS\/directdoc.aspx?filename=Q:\/TN\/RL\/GEN56.pdf&amp;Open=True\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">some subsidies that do not adversely impact trade and sustainability<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> (\u201cnon-actionable subsidies\u201d) should not be removed, like subsidies involving infrastructural development, the prevention and protection against diseases, scientific research and training, or any other rehabilitative facilities for fishermen. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.wto.org\/dol2fe\/Pages\/SS\/directdoc.aspx?filename=Q:\/TN\/RL\/W196.pdf&amp;Open=True\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Others<\/span> <\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">include subsidies for conservation and regional development and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.wto.org\/dol2fe\/Pages\/SS\/directdoc.aspx?filename=Q:\/TN\/RL\/W202.pdf&amp;Open=True\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">social security<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, such as subsidies for natural disasters at sea, subsidies for the\u00a0off-season, unemployment fees, early retirement funds and subsidies for fishermen&#8217;s re-education, re-training and alternative employment assistance.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Third<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, <\/span><b>the capacity to develop fishing resources<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. It was<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.wto.org\/dol2fe\/Pages\/SS\/directdoc.aspx?filename=Q:\/TN\/RL\/GEN57.pdf&amp;Open=True\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">argued<\/span> <\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">that the prohibition of measures increasing fishing in a more sustainable way would unduly impede the ability of the Global South to use their fisheries resources for food security, poverty alleviation, and sustainable development. Further, there has been some <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.wto.org\/dol2fe\/Pages\/SS\/directdoc.aspx?filename=Q:\/TN\/RL\/W196.pdf&amp;Open=True\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">skepticism regarding the link between subsidies and fisheries depletion<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">,<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> since the evidence has been based on data from the Global North with large-scale industrial fleets.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Fourth<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, <\/span><b>the protection of small and vulnerable coastal states and artisanal fishing<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. There have been <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.wto.org\/dol2fe\/Pages\/SS\/directdoc.aspx?filename=Q:\/TN\/RL\/GEN57R2.pdf&amp;Open=True\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">calls<\/span> <\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">to exclude subsidies to artisanal and small-scale fishing from the definition of fisheries subsidies while providing small and vulnerable coastal states with SDT or classifying such activities as non-actionable subsidies.\u00a0 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.wto.org\/dol2fe\/Pages\/SS\/directdoc.aspx?filename=Q:\/TN\/RL\/GEN57R2.pdf&amp;Open=True\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Small and vulnerable coastal states proposed to exclude subsidies granted to assist their development from the purview of discussion<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Fifth, <\/span><\/i><b>addressing the harms of non-specific fuel subsidies<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. There have been contentions surrounding the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pib.gov.in\/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1834001\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">reduction of non-specific fuel subsidies<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. It has been argued that <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0308597X19303677\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">fuel subsidies constitute twenty-two percent of the fisheries subsidies provided<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and largely cover non-specific fuel subsidies. This obscurity of non-specific fuel subsidies is detrimental to ocean sustainability, because it continues to incentivize unsustainable fishing practices.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sixth, <\/span><\/i><b>sufficient transition period<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Developing countries like <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pib.gov.in\/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1834001\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">India have also requested a twenty-five-year moratorium imposed on Distant Water Fishing Nations<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to provide any subsidy for fishing or fishing-related activities beyond their Exclusive Economic Zones (\u201cEEZ\u201d). Further, it was argued that <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/focusweb.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/WTO-Agreement-on-Fisheries-Subsidies_Letter-to-Government-of-India_MoC.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">subsidies should not be prohibited for developing nations and LDCs during this period<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. This would allow the nascent fisheries sectors in these countries to thrive.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Seventh<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, <\/span><b>unequal comparison of subsidies between developed and developing nations<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. The Global South argued that the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/focusweb.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/WTO-Agreement-on-Fisheries-Subsidies_Letter-to-Government-of-India_MoC.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">comparison of subsidies should be based on \u201cper-fisher subsidy.\u201d<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Given the larger fishing population in the Global South <em>vis-\u00e0-vis<\/em> the same in the Global North, the per-fisher subsidies are much lower in the Global South <em>vis-\u00e0-vis<\/em> those in the Global North. To <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.livemint.com\/news\/india\/india-to-not-budge-on-subsidy-protection-of-its-fishermen-at-wto-11655223823839.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">illustrate<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> this, in India, the per-fisher subsidy is estimated to be $15 per fisher, while the Global North countries, such as Denmark, provide per-fisher subsidies as high as $75,000. Thus, without considering per-fisher subsidies, the comparison between the Global South and Global North has been unfair.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>IV. Assessing the AFS through a TWAIL Perspective: The Case Study on India\u2019s Fisheries Sector<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This section analyzes AFS through a TWAIL perspective, keeping in mind the seven blocks of concern examined in Part III. This analysis is performed with the Indian fisheries sector as the case study. The reason behind contextually analyzing a country is to demonstrate the needs and concerns of one nation distinct from others. This offers a larger critique of the AFS for homogenizing countries, without understanding the unique concerns of the Global South.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">i. Contextual Analysis of India\u2019s Fisheries Sector<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Fisheries is a crucial sector for India socio-economically; <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.iisd.org\/system\/files\/2021-12\/sustainable-marine-fisheries-india-en.pdfhttps:\/www.iisd.org\/system\/files\/2021-12\/sustainable-marine-fisheries-india-en.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">it contributes 1 percent of India\u2019s Gross Domestic Product and exports INR 46,662.85 worth of crore<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/eprints.cmfri.org.in\/17490\/2\/Marine%20Fisheries%20Census_2016_India.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">while providing food security and securing livelihood for around 3.77 million people<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Of the fishing-dependent population, about 67 percent of the families are under the Below the Poverty Line (\u201cBPL\u201d) category, around 16 percent belong to marginalized backgrounds and 48.7 percent are women. Only 25.8 percent of Indian fishing vessels are mechanized, while the rest are non-mechanized or motorized fishing crafts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.iisd.org\/system\/files\/2021-12\/sustainable-marine-fisheries-india-en.pdfhttps:\/www.iisd.org\/system\/files\/2021-12\/sustainable-marine-fisheries-india-en.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">India provides INR 2225 crore approximately towards supporting fisheries as of FY 2019<\/span><\/a>.<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0Fuel subsidies are the most significant support, amounting to 32 percent of the subsidies provided, and are rapidly increasing with a growth rate of 142 percent. The second most key category of subsidies is those promoting deep-sea fishing, mariculture and vessel modernization. The third most crucial type of support is relief from disaster and other social security nets.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Existing studies and accounts demonstrate the flawed structure and distribution of fisheries subsidies in India. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Firstly<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, these subsidies may not truly benefit the most vulnerable fishermen as they predominantly aid the better-off fishermen. Further, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/india.mongabay.com\/2020\/03\/marine-subsidies-are-a-mess-say-small-scale-fishers-of-southern-karnataka\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">there are additional developmental needs<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> (such as safety in the sea) that remain unaddressed through these support programs. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.iisd.org\/system\/files\/2021-12\/sustainable-marine-fisheries-india-en.pdfhttps:\/www.iisd.org\/system\/files\/2021-12\/sustainable-marine-fisheries-india-en.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Indian experience with fuel subsidies has demonstrated that they are inefficient in transferring benefits<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, prone to leakages and manipulated by middlemen, who resell the fuel at higher prices.<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Secondly<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/india.mongabay.com\/2020\/03\/marine-subsidies-are-a-mess-say-small-scale-fishers-of-southern-karnataka\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">most of the subsidies are focused towards fuel, modern fishing gear, ice plants, and marketing<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> since India is promoting aquaculture. For instance, in Karnataka, of the eighteen subsidies listed in 2018-19, only two were dedicated towards welfare, and thirteen focused on marketing and inland fisheries development and aquaculture. This does not provide any incentive or support for small-scale and vulnerable fishing communities. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Thirdly<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/india.mongabay.com\/2020\/03\/marine-subsidies-are-a-mess-say-small-scale-fishers-of-southern-karnataka\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">a study conducted in Southern Karnataka<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> shows that only select fisherfolk receive welfare subsidies on a first-come-first-served basis. Further, many fishers are not aware of the schemes available to them. Thus, the fisheries subsidies in India require reformation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">ii. TWAIL Critique of AFS and the Implications on India\u2019s Fisheries Sector<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This segment presents a TWAIL critique of AFS and analyzes the implications on the Indian fisheries sector, offering recommendations to India and other developing nations and LDCs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>1. <a href=\"https:\/\/cil.nus.edu.sg\/blogs\/the-world-trade-organization-fisheries-subsidies-agreement-a-critical-assessment-on-the-impacts-to-developing-fishing-nations-and-the-way-forward\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The AFS under-regulates subsidies<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> harmful to ocean <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">sustainability. They are used to subsidize vessels\u2019 increased fishing capacity and fishers\u2019 fishing expenses, such as fishing gears, capital costs, and fuel subsidies. These subsidies <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/cil.nus.edu.sg\/blogs\/the-world-trade-organization-fisheries-subsidies-agreement-a-critical-assessment-on-the-impacts-to-developing-fishing-nations-and-the-way-forward\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">account for<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">60 percent of the global fisheries subsidies and are constantly increasing, most of which are provided by the developed countries. India<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pib.gov.in\/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1834001\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">pointed out<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> the lack of recognition of non-specific fuel subsidies. This suggestion was <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.wto.org\/dol2fe\/Pages\/SS\/directdoc.aspx?filename=q:\/TN\/RL\/W277A1.pdf&amp;Open=True\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">rejected<\/span> <\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">by the majority of the members.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Recommendation:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The AFS negotiations should identify subsidies that are detrimental to achieving ocean sustainability. Article 5 should accordingly contain guidance regarding identifying \u201charmful\u201d subsidies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2. The categories of \u201cdeveloped\u201d and \u201cdeveloping\u201d countries are obsolete. The self-declaratory mechanism to recognize developing status allows some large economies to maintain the footing of developing nations. In the context of fisheries subsidies, this is more problematic. Specifically, China dominates distant-water fishing with large and modernized vessels but continues to enjoy SDT benefits as a developing nation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Recommendation:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> To address over-generalization of developing nations, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/cil.nus.edu.sg\/blogs\/the-world-trade-organization-fisheries-subsidies-agreement-a-critical-assessment-on-the-impacts-to-developing-fishing-nations-and-the-way-forward\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">the self-declaratory mechanism must be transformed<\/span><\/a>.<span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> There should be further classification within developing nations, based on fishing fleet size, mechanization or catch capacity to fairly distribute SDT benefits.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>3. <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.wto.org\/dol2fe\/Pages\/SS\/directdoc.aspx?filename=q:\/TN\/RL\/W277A1.pdf&amp;Open=True\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">de minimis <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">requirement was notified as an explanatory note in December 2023<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Reading this requirement along with Article 4.3 of the AFS carries adverse implications for the Global South. The note specified that while the twenty largest subsidy providers would be subject to the strictest scrutiny, LDCs and developing countries with a global share of marine catch not greater than 0.8 percent would be excluded from the prohibition on fisheries subsidies. Countries not within these categories are mandated to demonstrate sustainability as per Article 4.3. This is fallacious because <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/scroll.in\/article\/1063540\/at-wto-meet-india-will-have-to-balance-between-protecting-local-fishers-and-fishing-sector-growth\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">the Global North with large industrial fleets have the capacity and the regulatory regime to show compliance<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. This would then incentivize them to provide prohibited subsidies to their historically large industrial fleets. In contrast, developing countries like India, which fall under neither of the categories, lack the capacity to engage with onerous requirements and paperwork to demonstrate sustainable fishing and cannot provide the necessary support for their nascent fisheries sectors to grow.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Recommendation:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The requirements of sustainability under Article 4.3 must be defined in a manner that allows for contextual interpretation based on the needs of the Global South.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">4. The twenty-five-year transition period sought was rejected and would have detrimental implications on livelihood and food security. Given the socioeconomic background of Indian fishing communities and food security concerns, there is a pressing need to address these issues before phasing out subsidies. Appallingly, the AFS provides merely two years to transition for the Global South. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/cil.nus.edu.sg\/blogs\/the-world-trade-organization-fisheries-subsidies-agreement-a-critical-assessment-on-the-impacts-to-developing-fishing-nations-and-the-way-forward\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">However, this is not the case in other WTO agreements<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. For instance, the AoA has a transition period of ten years. Short transition puts the livelihoods of fishing communities and the food security of developing countries like India at risk.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Recommendation:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> In further negotiations, there must be a strong push for extending the transition period and providing more robust SDT provisions that impose concrete obligations on developed nations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">5. There exists no definition for artisanal and small-scale fishing, which are the most vulnerable groups within the fisheries sector. Without such a definition, the AFS cannot proceed in carving out exceptions for them. The lack of a sufficient transition period coupled with the absence of any exceptions for BPL-fishers would further push them into poverty. Thus, the interests of vulnerable communities in the Global South have been compromised, despite the incessant demands to meet their interests during the negotiations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Recommendation:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> There must be a push for defining and protecting small and vulnerable coastal states and traditional and artisanal fishers. The prohibitions on subsidies must be lifted for these categories.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">6. Article 7, which provides for a voluntary funding mechanism for developing countries, is inadequate because it does not obligate developed nations to provide income support or offer technical know-how to develop sustainable fishing practices. Further, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/cil.nus.edu.sg\/blogs\/the-world-trade-organization-fisheries-subsidies-agreement-a-critical-assessment-on-the-impacts-to-developing-fishing-nations-and-the-way-forward\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">the fund excludes other crucial disciplines<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">,<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> including poverty reduction, disaster recovery, alternative employment for fishers and technology transfer. All these requirements were put forth during the negotiations by the Global South but were neglected in the AFS.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Recommendation:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The voluntary fund mechanism should be made mandatory for a specific number of years to assist the Global South during their transition phase. There must also be a call for more technological transfers that would aid the Global South to develop sustainable fishing practices.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">7. The use of sustainability to institutionalize Global North hegemony is evident in the AFS and its negotiations. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/focusweb.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/WTO-Agreement-on-Fisheries-Subsidies_Letter-to-Government-of-India_MoC.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There is a complete lack of historical responsibility<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> by the Global North with large industrial fleets, who have contributed to the current overfishing crisis. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.weforum.org\/agenda\/2022\/12\/here-s-why-un-law-sea-overhaul\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They have employed the United Nations Convention on the Law of Seas<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> (\u201cUNCLOS\u201d) to exploit deep-sea fishing beyond the EEZs, the common heritage of mankind. This was effectively achieved through Fisheries Access Agreements (\u201cFAAs\u201d), drawn up by the EU, the US, Russia and Japan. The FAAs, along with the UNCLOS, affected small and traditional fishers and provided incentives to larger corporations to fish beyond limits. Thus, the institutionalized sustainable objectives may stifle the growth of fisheries in the Global South by denying them a reasonable way of providing income and rehabilitative support to vulnerable fishers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Recommendation:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The Global North must acknowledge its responsibility for the overfishing crisis. Suitable amendments also must be made to the FAAs to incorporate ocean sustainability and SDT provisions for the Global South.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">These recommendations must be supplemented with reforms in India\u2019s (and other developing countries\u2019 and LDCs\u2019) subsidies distributive mechanisms. India must phase out fuel subsidies, given its link to unsustainable fishing and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s44183-024-00049-7#:~:text=Focusing%20on%2030%20coastal%20least,levels%20of%20poverty%20line%20incomes.\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">instead redistribute such harmful subsidies in a positive manner<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. This includes support for traditional fishing practices, sustainable fishing, research and development, fisheries management, social security nets, disaster relief, and poverty alleviation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The article unpacks the complexities of approaching the issue of fisheries subsidies and ocean sustainability. A one-size-fits-all approach, as in the case of the AFS, is grounded in institutionalizing power imbalances between the Global North and the Global South. This negatively impacts the latter and their small-scale, nascent and vulnerable fishing sector. Further, the AFS is not efficacious in achieving ocean sustainability since it does not dismantle the root causes of overfishing: non-specific fuel subsidies and FAAs. Thus, going forward, the Global South must push for measures that protect their fisheries sector and ameliorate ocean sustainability concerns.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>[hr gap=&#8221;1&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p>* <strong>Sankari B<\/strong> is a final year undergraduate student studying at the National Law School of India University, Bangalore (NLSIU).<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800000\"><a style=\"color: #800000\" href=\"https:\/\/images.pexels.com\/photos\/25596866\/pexels-photo-25596866\/free-photo-of-fishing-boat-against-seascape.jpeg\">Cover image credit\u00a0<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sankari B<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":96,"featured_media":10868,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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