Fisheries agreement between SENEGAL and MAURITANIA

Fisheries agreements have been (and continue to be) one of the "hot issues" at the WTO DDA negotiations on fisheries subsidies.

Those WTO Members that view these agreements as containing a "subsidy element" have made proposals to discipline those agreements concluded between a developed and a developing Member of the WTO, while granting an exception for those agreements concluded between developing Member countries.

An example of the latter sort of agreement is the one between SENEGAL and MAURITANIA. The link hereunder corresponds to an article (in French) published in March of 2008 by the Agence de Presse Africaine.

http://www.apanews.net/apa.php?article58792

Brazilian government providing subsidies for projects in aquaculture and fisheries

Like Mexico, Brazil has launched a new programme called “Mais Pesca e Aqüicultura” - Plano de Desenvolvimento Sustentável. This programme, in English "More Fisheries and Aquaculture - Plan for sustainable development, was officially announced by President Lula da Silva on July 29, 2008 in Salvador (State of Bahia).

According to the official press release the purpose of the programme is to increase the production of fish in Brazil and to set specific targets to be reached by 2011.

Mexican government provding subsidies for projects in aquaculture and fisheries

The Mexican government approved on June 19, 2008 a total budget of 429 million pesos to support the growth of the fisheries and aquaculture sector.

Here is a link with more information (in Spanish) on these subsidies.

http://www.conapesca.sagarpa.gob.mx/wb/cona/cona_19_de_junio_de_2008_mexico_df

The pain of high fuel prices: U.S. Senators introduce a bill proposing fuel subsidies for fishermen

On July 9, 2008 Senator Lisa MURKOWSKI (Republican, Alaska) introduced a bill that would help commercial fishermen in Alaska and all over the United States offset high fuel prices by providing a temporary income tax credit for excessive fuel costs.

Senator STEVENS (Democrat, Alaska) co-sponsored the bill.

The full title of the bill is: "S. 3234. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide a temporary income tax credit for commercial fishermen to offset high fuel costs"

Fisheries subsidies and small scale / artisanal fisheries

Those familiar with the WTO negotiations on fisheries subsidies know that the impacts of small scale / artisanal fisheries has been one of the most hotly debated subjects, in particular as regards the question whether these fisheries should be fully exempeted from new disciplines or not.

WWF has recently issued a paper on this subject. Here is the link where the document can be found.

http://www.eldis.org/go/display&type=Document&id=37260

Fisheries subidies at the WTO DDA negotiations: what is a "not prohibited" subsidy?

For those interested in the definition of a "fisheries susbsidy" in the context of the WTO DDA negotiations I recommend the following posting in the International Economic Law and Policy Blog

http://worldtradelaw.typepad.com/ielpblog/2008/03/draft-text-on-f.html

U.S. minimum wage: exception for American Samoa. The end of a subsidy?.

It seems that the low minimum salary that was applicable to American Samoa (Fish Canning & Processing: $3.26) will have to end with the expiration of the previous federal law on minimum wages.

The minimum wage in American Samoa will have to increase by $0.50 per hour each year until it equals that of the fifty states, i.e. $7.25 per hour.

Argentina: tax refunds for exports of fish products

Recently, an Argentinean website specialised in commercial fishing published a series of news items related to the reinstatement, by the Argentinean governement, of a system whereby taxes are refunded for those fisheries goods being exported.

Here is the link to one of these news items.

http://www.pescaypuertos.com.ar/a08/20080714_reintegros.html

The WTO´s Doha Development Agenda (dda) and fisheries subsidies

The negotiations on new disciplines for fisheriies subsidies in the context of the WTO´s DDA will be one of the subjects to which I will pay special attention when writing in this blog.

In this regard my impression is that the recent collapse of the Doha round has left the discussions on this subject in a kind of limbo. I will come back soon on this subject.

Items in this blog: "The Subsidy Collection"

What I intend to do with this blog, among many other things, is to create a collection of subsidy types provided by governments to the fisheries sector. The various subsidy types will be tagged with the word "collection".

The fisheries subsidies blog reopens

Dear readers,

After a few (failed) attempts this blog, specialised on the subject of subsidies to the fisheries sector, starts its activities.

Fassolt