The European Commission has been urged to follow the example of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in taking steps to protect EU waters from industrial fishing.

The call has been made by Paris-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) Bloom, following a multilateral agreement by the WTO late last week on financial support granted to the fishing sector.

After over 20 years of negotiations, the WTO agreed early on June 17th, 2022 to address three issues: illegal fishing, overexploited fish stocks and transparency.

The agreement includes prohibiting subsidies to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing; and giving a two-year exemption to the least developed countries to implement this measure in their exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

A prohibition on subsidies to fisheries targeting overexploited fish stocks was also agreed. This came with “a caveat”, according to Bloom, as it notes that a State “may grant or maintain subsidies if such subsidies or other measures are implemented to rebuild the stock to a biologically sustainable level”.

BLOOM warns that this exemption may “open a chasm of complicity between industrial fishing lobbies and States to implement soft measures in order to maintain public subsidies”.

“It also opens endless scientific conversations about what one considers a “biologically sustainable level”. The same two-year deadline is given to the least developed countries to implement this article,”it says.

The new WTO agreement also creates an international standard of transparency by making it mandatory for States to notify subsidies granted to their fleets and fishing operators.

This measure is “a major step forward,” according to BLOOM.

“As the WTO has the power to impose sanctions, these transparency requirements should completely change the situation, and put an end to the opacity that surrounds financial flows between the fishing industry and States,”it says..

The agreement also creates a "Committee on Fisheries Subsidies" which shall meet "not less than twice a year", and shall review the information submitted by States "not less than every two years".

“The financial information provisions of the WTO deal are particularly dear to BLOOM, which knows that transparency and access to data are the cornerstone of any real progress towards social equity and marine conservation,” the NGO says.

Bloom says the deal is “imperfect”, as “fundamental measures to improve the state of ocean biodiversity, marine habitats and artisanal fisheries were removed from the negotiating text”.

“Subsidies that encourage fishing capacity that leads to overexploitation of fish stocks have not been prohibited,” it notes.

“Thus, all public aid covering capital costs (construction, modernisation, replacement of engines etc.) and variable costs (primarily fuel subsidies) have not been prohibited,” it says.

“Harmful subsidies that encourage overcapacity represent the vast majority of the aid granted worldwide (>18 billion),” Bloom says in a statement.

“ These are the subsidies that directly lead to the overexploitation and destruction of the ocean. Historically, they are the subsidy categories that the industrial lobbies and therefore the States defend most ardently, despite their precise scientific knowledge of the perverse mechanisms induced by such financial arrangements,” it says.

“The consequences of the Russian aggression in Ukraine on diesel prices have not created a context that facilitates this aspect of the negotiations. Nor are included the unethical subsidies provided to fleets to access waters of foreign countries, often developing States, in the form of fishing access agreements,” it notes.

“This will be the major issues awaiting the negotiators in the coming months,”it says, noting that the participating countries are “committed to continuing their efforts and discussions”.

“There is even talk of quickly convening a new ministerial conference (the date of March 2023 is circulating) to maintain the momentum and finally stop funding the destruction of the common good, the climate, biodiversity, small-scale fisheries and food security,”it says.

Bloom notes that an ocean action plan for Europe due to come out last March is still “nowhere to be seen”.

The NGO says it is calling on European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen to “protect our future and citizens before industrial lobbies”.

It calls on the Commission president to “release an ambitious ocean action plan with a target to protect 30% of EU waters from any industrial activities”.

Bloom says this is in accordance with International Union for Conservation of Nature criteria for Marine Protected Areas, before the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon starting on 27 June 2022”.