Dear Colleagues: Oceana is pushing the World Trade Organization (WTO) for an end to global fisheries subsidies that lead to overfishing. Fisheries subsidies hurt marine mammals by increasing fishing effort, which can decrease prey availability and increase bycatch. In addition, fisheries subsidies in some countries have been linked to whaling. Extensive information on the WTO, fisheries subsidies, and our work is available on our website. One of our current initiatives is a scientist sign on letter that asks Pascal Lamy, Director-General of the World Trade Organization, to push for as strong an outcome as possible in the WTO negotiations to eliminate harmful fisheries subsidies. Daniel Pauly, Boris Worm and Ussif Rashid Sumaila are the lead signers, and we hope they will be joined by scientists from around the world. If you are interested in more information about our work, please check out http://www.oceana.org/north-america/what-we-do/stop-overfishing-subsidie s/ <http://www.oceana.org/north-america/what-we-do/stop-overfishing-subsidi es/> or if you would like to be a signer to the letter, please reply to me at Egriffin@Oceana.org. Thank you, Elizabeth Griffin Elizabeth Griffin| Marine Wildlife Scientist ________________________________________ | Protecting the World's Oceans 2501 M Street NW, Suite 300 | Washington, DC 20037 USA T +1.202.467.1913 | F +1.202.833.2070 | C +1.202.271.5645 E egriffin@oceana.org | W www.oceana.org <http://www.oceana.org/> May XX, 2007 Director-General Pascal Lamy World Trade Organization Centre William Rappard Rue de Lausanne 154 CH-1211 Geneva 21 Switzerland Dear Director-General Lamy: As members of the international science community, we write to you with our grave concern about the state of the world's oceans. The World Trade Organization (WTO) has an unprecedented and unequalled opportunity to contribute to stopping global overfishing by significantly reducing worldwide subsidies to the fishing sector. An ambitious outcome in the ongoing WTO fisheries subsidies negotiations is vital to the future of the world's fisheries. It is our great hope that you will use your leadership to guide the WTO to meet this global challenge. We have spent lifetimes dedicated to studying the oceans ecosystems and marine fisheries. Many of us remember a time only decades ago when the oceans were viewed as vast storehouses of protein, able to provide food to an increasingly hungry world, food that could be provided by fishermen relying on technology and scientific management. At that time, many of us also started to observe the decline of some fish populations. But we had little idea how massive the problem would become. Modern fishing technology is capable of catching fish at amounts and in places we never would have envisioned. The majority of the world's fish populations are in jeopardy from overfishing and if current trends continue, will be beyond recovery within decades. Fish populations, as well as many other ocean species, have been depleted to a fraction of their historical level. Many of these fish are at the top of the marine food chain, and their disappearance can trigger cascading adverse effects throughout the marine ecosystem. * Ninety percent of all the "big fish"-large-bodied sharks, tuna, marlin and swordfish - have disappeared as the result of industrialized fishing;[1] * The decline of many ocean species is increasingly impairing the ocean's capacity to provide food, maintain water quality, and recover from perturbations.[2] * Despite massive technological advances and increased effort, global catches of food fish have been declining for more than a decade.[3] There is no longer any question -we have reached a critical state. The world's ocean ecosystems are at a tipping point, and overfishing represents one of the greatest threats to their productivity. Yet despite the precarious state of the oceans, many governments continue to provide significant subsidies to their fishing sector. Fisheries subsidies produce such strong economic incentives to overfish that reducing them is one of the most significant actions that can be taken to combat global overfishing. The WTO negotiations represent the best opportunity to control worldwide subsidies to the fishing sector. According to a new study, fisheries subsidies amount to $30 to $34 billion annually, and at least $20 billion go directly towards supporting fishing capacity, such as boats, fuel, equipment, and other operating costs.[4] These subsidies equal approximately 25 percent of worldwide fishing revenue. Fisheries subsidies are not only a major driver of overfishing, but promote other destructive fishing practices. For example, high seas bottom trawling, a practice so environmentally-destructive that the United Nations has called on nations to severely restrict it, would not be profitable without its large subsidies for fuel. Subsidies have also been documented to support illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing - a serious impediment to achieving sustainable fisheries. There are only decades left before the damage we have inflicted on the oceans becomes permanent. We are at a crossroads. One road leads to a world with tremendously diminished marine life. The other leads to one with oceans again teeming with abundance, where the world can rely on the oceans for protein, and enjoy its wildlife. The choices we make today will determine our path for the future. Global overfishing is one of the greatest threats to the oceans. Massive government subsidies continue to perpetuate and exacerbate this problem. The WTO fisheries subsidies negotiations are historic in their intent to address a major environmental issue in the context of trade. But the results of this negotiation go far beyond trade - they will directly impact our ability to ensure the long-term sustainability of the world's fisheries. The WTO has in its hands the opportunity to effect one of the greatest changes towards protecting the world's oceans. We urge you to use your skill and leadership to significantly achieve a successful outcome in the fisheries subsidies negotiations and demonstrate to the world that the WTO can play a constructive role in solving problems of global consequence. Sincerely, cc: Ambassador Guillermo Valles Galmes of Uruguay Chairman, WTO Negotiating Group on Rules [1] R. Myers & B. Worm, Rapid Worldwide Depletion of Predatory Fish Communities. Nature, May 15, 2003, Vol., 423, p. 280-283 [1] B. Worm et al., Impacts of Biodiversity Loss on Ocean Ecosystems Services. Science, November 3, 2006, Vol. 314, p. 787-790 [1] R. Watson & D. Pauly, Systematic distortions in world fisheries catch trends. Nature November 29, 2001, 414, p. 534-536 4 Sumaila, U. R. and D. Pauly (Editors) 2006. Catching More Bait: A Bottom-up Re-estimation of Global Fisheries Subsidies. Fisheries Centre Research Reports Vol. 14(6) 114 pp. ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ [1] R. Myers & B. Worm, Rapid Worldwide Depletion of Predatory Fish Communities. Nature, May 15, 2003, Vol., 423, p. 280-283 [2] B. Worm et al., Impacts of Biodiversity Loss on Ocean Ecosystems Services. Science, November 3, 2006, Vol. 314, p. 787-790 [3] R. Watson & D. Pauly, Systematic distortions in world fisheries catch trends. Nature November 29, 2001, 414, p. 534-536 4 Sumaila, U. R. and D. Pauly (Editors) 2006. Catching More Bait: A Bottom-up Re-estimation of Global Fisheries Subsidies. Fisheries Centre Research Reports Vol. 14(6) 114 pp.
