50 Days to #StopFundingOverfishing

Delivering on SDG 14 by Reaching a WTO Agreement to End Harmful Fisheries Subsidies

Join SOA, Sir David Attenborough, and fisheries experts to learn how you can help end subsidies that fuel over-fishing

Sustainable fisheries are key to ensuring food security, livelihood stability, and a healthy ocean. However, new estimates from the FAO reveal that overfishing continues to increase, with 34% of global stocks assessed as overfished (FAO SOFIA 2020). One of the main drivers contributing to overfishing and ocean’ depletion are harmful subsidies to the fishing industry. Capacity-enhancing subsidies artificially lower the cost of fishing, leading to overfishing and support for unsustainable practices. Each year, governments around the world provide more than $22 billion in harmful fisheries subsidies. Recognizing the harm that capacity-enhancing subsidies, world leaders agreed in 2015 to Sustainable Development Goal 14 Target 6, which tasks WTO members with reaching an agreement to end harmful fisheries subsidies by 2020. Members are currently negotiating full-time on the basis of a single, consolidated text drafted by the chair of the negotiations, progress that has not been seen in over a decade of talks. 

Download the full campaign support briefing here

Structure

On Nov 12, there will be 49 days until the WTO’s deadline to reach an agreement. SOA’s ocean leaders are young people giving a voice to the issues that our planet faces. In this Ocean Learning Lab, SOA’s ocean leaders will explore the environmental imperative to end harmful subsidies in order to help restore ocean health, discover tools to assess the impact of a potential WTO agreement to end harmful fisheries subsidies, and learn how they can contribute to civil society support for an agreement. Suggested speakers to include:

• Dr. Rashid Sumaila, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia
• Andres Cisneros-Montemayor, Nippon Foundation Ocean Nexus Program, University of British Columbia
• Michele Kuruc, Ocean Policy, WWF
• Reyna Gilbert, Pew Charitable Trusts 

There will also be a video keynote address from Sir David Attenborough

Call to Action

Following the event, SOA’s ocean leaders will be invited to:

• Send a tweet to the new Director-General of the WTO encouraging successful conclusion of the fisheries subsidies negotiations in 2020 (sample tweet will be provided)
• Send a tweet to your trade and fisheries ministers (handles and sample tweet will be provided)
• Visit www.stopfundingoverfishing.com, click “SHARE THE MESSAGE”, and explain using #StopFundingOverfishing why you support a WTO agreement to end harmful fisheries subsidies