Dear Trade Representative,
I am writing to urgently request that my government does everything within its power to support the ratification of the World Trade Organization’s Agreement on Fishing Subsidies.
Our seas are currently in crisis: 35% of global marine stocks are overexploited and IUU fishing is a big part of the problem. Overfishing threatens not only marine life, but also the livelihoods and nutritional status of populations around the world.
The new agreement will ban subsidies for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, the fishing of overfished stock and end subsidies for fishing on the unregulated high seas, an area which covers two thirds of the world’s oceans. The agreement will also be the first of the Sustainable Development Goal’s (SDG’s) to be achieved, by making SDG 14 Target 6 a reality.
The WTO Agreement on Fishing Subsidies is a starting point for averting disaster, but it requires the ratification of two thirds of WTO members in order to come into force.
I demand that my government take action to prevent the catastrophe of a dead ocean.
- Please ratify the WTO agreement and encourage other countries to do the same through diplomatic and trade relations.
- Ensure that our trade negotiators work with the WTO in Geneva on even more comprehensive rules for the future, including on ending subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing.
Thank you for your support in protecting our oceans for future generations.
Yours sincerely,