WTO aiming to net fishing dealTalks at the WTO on cutting fisheries subsidies are coming down to a year-end deadline. - Developing countries snag -One of the main stumbling blocks remains how developing countries and the poorest nations will be treated. That demand is difficult for everyone to accept, especially since the WTO system allows its members to self-identify as developing countries. Many of the major fishing nations are considered developing countries, including China, which has one of the biggest fishing fleets. An agreement "will benefit small-scale fishermen, because when we talk about fishing subsidies, approximately 80 or 85 percent goes to large-scale industrial fishing," Remi Parmentier, an advisor to the Friends of Ocean Action group, told AFP.

Source: Bangkok Post November 23, 2020 02:03 UTC