Governments have been actively subsidising resource depletion, writes renowned fisheries scientist Rashid Sumaila in an opinion published on CFP-reformwatch.
He also suggests three EU strategies towards sustainable fisheries.
Dr Sumaila points out that subsidies that expand fishing capacity are estimated to total about $16 billion globally each year. This represents close to 20% of the total value of marine catch.
All the evidence gathered over the last 50-60 years of fisheries science and economics shows that harmful subsidies have negative effects on poverty levels in fishing communities, the livelihoods of fishers and food security in general.
In this backdrop, Dr Sumaila presents his views on how the European Union can contribute to sustainable fisheries by eliminating harmful subsidies provided by the EU, working positively with the Doha Round, and by using its influence to support efforts to remove fisheries subsidies in developing countries.
Dr Sumaila has specialised in areas such as bioeconomics and the analysis of fisheries subsidies, and he is Director of the Fisheries Centre at the University of British Columbia, Canada.
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