A 20-year retrospective on the provision of fisheries subsidies in the European Union

Skerritt, Daniel J.; Arthur, Robert; Ebrahim, Naazia; Brenne, Valérie Le; Manach, Frédéric Le; Schuhbauer, Anna; Villasante, Sebastián; Sumaila, U. Rashid

doi:10.1093/icesjms/fsaa142

Cited by 26 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…This would begin to redress the unjust global impact of harmful subsidies on the sheries that provide essential food and livelihoods to millions of people, particularly in low-HDI countries 48 . Instead, we have seen some key subsidising regions propose the reintroduction of harmful sheries subsidies that have already been removed 49,50 , in direct contradiction of sheries science, economic theory and insights.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Mapping the unjust global impact of harmful fisheries subsidies

Skerritt

Schuhbauer

Villasante

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Harmful fisheries subsidies contribute to overfishing leading to environmental and societal impacts1. If only fisheries within the subsidising nations’ jurisdiction were affected, then unilateral actions might be sufficient to help safeguard our ocean and the people reliant upon it. However, just as fish move between jurisdictions2, so too do the subsidised fishing fleets targeting them3. As such, the impacts and solutions to subsidies-induced overfishing are matters of international concern. Mapping that impact is therefore key to understanding these concerns and informing multilateral reform. Here we combine existing datasets4–6 to quantify the amount of harmful fisheries subsidies impacting the high seas, domestic and foreign waters, respectively. We estimate that between 24% and 43% of all harmful fisheries subsidies impact foreign waters or the high seas. We show that harmful subsidies primarily originate from countries with high-Human Development Index (HDI), strong fisheries management capacity and relatively sustainable fish stocks, yet disproportionately impact countries with low-HDI, lower management capacity and more vulnerable stocks. Indeed, over 40% of the harmful subsidies impacting low-HDI countries originate from high-HDI countries. This discrepancy between the source of harmful subsidies and the nations that are ultimately impacted is unsustainable and unjust. Policy-makers from all nations must push for effective multilateral subsidies reform. Prohibiting subsidies to distant-water fishing should be prioritised to support equitable and sustainable fisheries worldwide.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Mapping the unjust global impact of harmful fisheries subsidies

Skerritt

Schuhbauer

Villasante

et al. 2021

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Sustainability has mostly been achieved through Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management or Management Strategy Evaluation [28][29][30]. In future works we will take into account the level of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and the result of the application of FEMP since countries that improve their management of IUU fishing tend to improve other objectives of managing multiple fisheries with increased follow-up [31][32][33].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of Regional Efficiency in the Use of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (FEMP) in the Eurozone Countries

Blanco

Bares

Ferasso

2022

Fishes

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The European Union (EU) launched the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) in the 1970s. Currently, a large part of the CFP has been financed with the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (FEMP). This research aims to determine whether there is a high degree of homogeneity in the levels of efficiency achieved by the fishing projects financed by European Funds for the period 2014 to 2020. The Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) methodology was adopted. The main results showed that there is a high degree of heterogeneity in the level of efficiency achieved by European countries during the analyzed period. Moreover, despite the fact that regional efficiency has been increasing during the years under study, territorial disparities persist over time. This research provides a contribution for policymakers targeting better use of the FEMP funds for the upcoming funding package 2021–2027.

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“…The subsidy categories were based on the criteria provided by Sumaila et al (2019a) and Skerritt et al (2020). Each EMFF measure and type of financial support were divided into three broad types of subsidies according to their expected impact and scope of intervention: capacity enhancing, beneficial, or ambiguous.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of the available funds supporting marine activities in some key European Mediterranean countries

Gambino¹,

Accadia²,

Costantini

et al. 2022

Front. Res. Metr. Anal.

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The study presented in this article analyzed qualitative and quantitative data on the performance of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) based on the information reported in the European Union (EU) List of Operations updated to December 2020. Each EMFF measure and type of financial support were divided into three broad categories of subsidies according to their main objectives and scope: capacity enhancing, beneficial, or ambiguous. Capacity enhancing is defined as funds that could incentive overcapacity or overfishing. Beneficial refers to subsidies that have a positive impact on fish stocks and the environment. Ambiguous subsidies correspond to funds that may lead to positive or negative impacts on the environment depending on how they are designed and implemented. The assessment revealed the asymmetric distribution of EMFF resources in the Mediterranean region. In the six member states investigated, EMFF support is concentrated on a limited number of more easily accessible measures from an administrative and financial point of view. Most of the allocated funds are classified as capacity enhancing; other frequently used measures are in the ambiguous category. Small-scale vessels using static gear and accounting for the largest part of the Mediterranean fleets received a negligible share of specific funds for promoting environmentally sustainable fisheries. Most investments are concentrated on larger trawlers to support the temporary cessation of fishing activities and scrapping operations. Further qualitative analysis based on the findings and recommendations of previous reports evaluating the use of EMFF as well as interviews with beneficiaries highlighted that complex administrative procedures and legal uncertainty in the interpretations of some articles of the EMFF regulations are the main reasons for the asymmetric performance of the EMFF measures. The dispersion of responsibilities among European, national and regional authorities, and an evident lack of coordination among them are the main shortcomings that were identified. The limited use of advance payments, the lack of capacity, and technical assistance and obstacles to accessing financial instruments have penalized most of the projects that are focused on innovation, diversification, and environmental sustainability.

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A 20-year retrospective on the provision of fisheries subsidies in the European Union

Cited by 26 publications

References 34 publications

Mapping the unjust global impact of harmful fisheries subsidies

Mapping the unjust global impact of harmful fisheries subsidies

Analysis of Regional Efficiency in the Use of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (FEMP) in the Eurozone Countries

Analysis of the available funds supporting marine activities in some key European Mediterranean countries

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