The document estimates that global fisheries subsidies total over $30 billion per year. Around 66% of subsidies, or $21 billion, enhance fishing capacity and can lead to overfishing. Management subsidies aimed at monitoring, control, and stock assessments can help reduce overfishing, but their effectiveness varies between developed and developing countries. Lower levels of illegal fishing are associated with better managed fisheries, and reducing fuel subsidies could help generate more funding for management programs.

1. The extent and
effectiveness of subsidizing
fisheries management
worldwide
Andrew J. Dyck
October 2009

2. October 2009
Global Fisheries Subsidies and Illegal Fishing
Global fisheries subsidies
Under UNCLOS, countries must manage
their resources sustainably for the benefit
of current and future generations.
Subsidies can be counter-productive in
fulfilling this responsibility.

3. October 2009
Global Fisheries Subsidies and Illegal Fishing
Estimation of fisheries subsidies
$54 billion, FAO (1992)
$14-20 billion, Milazzo (1998)
Bottom-up re-estimation (2006)
Collection of data sources
Estimation of missing data

4. October 2009
Global Fisheries Subsidies and Illegal Fishing
Categorization of subsidies
Beneficial
Programs that are likely to enhance stocks and/or
reduce capacity
Capacity-enhancing
Programs that are likely to increase capacity and
cause over-fishing
Ambiguous
Programs may increase or decrease capacity
depending on how well they are designed

5. October 2009
Global Fisheries Subsidies and Illegal Fishing
Results of subsidy estimation
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
World Bank This study FAO
Subsidies($USbillions)

6. October 2009
Global Fisheries Subsidies and Illegal Fishing
Results: Fisheries subsidies by category
Capacity-enhancing
subsidies, $21 billion, 66%
Beneficial subsidies,
$7 billion, 22%
Ambiguous subsidies,
$4 billion, 13%

7. October 2009
Global Fisheries Subsidies and Illegal Fishing
Beneficial subsidies - management
Management
Monitoring & control
Stock assessment
Stock enhancement
Other beneficial subsidies
Research & development
Marine protected areas

8. October 2009
Global Fisheries Subsidies and Illegal Fishing
Testing management effectiveness
Do management subsidies reduce the level of
over-fishing?
Some preliminary results of cross-country regression
model

9. October 2009
Global Fisheries Subsidies and Illegal Fishing
Management effectiveness results

10. October 2009
Global Fisheries Subsidies and Illegal Fishing
Management effectiveness results

11. October 2009
Global Fisheries Subsidies and Illegal Fishing
Management effectiveness results

12. October 2009
Global Fisheries Subsidies and Illegal Fishing
Illegal fishing profit equation
Subsidies enter the Illegal equation several
times:
Increases Illegal fishing
Reduces costs (C(e))
ie. vessel modernization / vessel buyback programs
Decreases Illegal fishing
Increase the probability of detection
ie. Monitoring & control programs
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13. October 2009
Global Fisheries Subsidies and Illegal Fishing
Governance and illegal fishing

14. October 2009
Global Fisheries Subsidies and Illegal Fishing
Summary
Subsidies to global fishing fleets is more
than $30 billion per year

15. October 2009
Global Fisheries Subsidies and Illegal Fishing
Summary
Subsidies to global fishing fleets is more
than $30 billion per year
The effect of management spending can
differ greatly in developed and developing
nations

16. October 2009
Global Fisheries Subsidies and Illegal Fishing
Summary
Subsidies to global fishing fleets is more
than $30 billion per year
The effect of management spending can
differ greatly in developed and developing
nations
Illegal fishing is lower where fisheries are
well managed
Reducing fuel subsidies could be a source of
management funding

17. October 2009
Global Fisheries Subsidies and Illegal Fishing
Special thanks to:
Ahmed S. Khan, U. Rashid Sumaila, Reg
Watson, Gordon Munro and Daniel Pauly
a.dyck@fisheries.ubc.ca
http://www.feru.org
Thank You!