"As Ocean Fears Gather Pace, WTO Fishing Talks Stall"

"GENEVA - The oceans are under siege, campaigners warn, and fish stocks could collapse unless a global deal is struck swiftly to ban harmful fisheries subsidies. The World Trade Organization, meanwhile, can’t agree on who will head the committee to discuss the issue, according to sources close to the negotiations.

More than 90 percent of fish stocks are at maximum sustainable levels or overfished, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, and environmentalists say a subsidies deal is needed quickly to protect those remaining.

However the chances of WTO member states meeting a self-imposed deadline of reaching an agreement by the end of the year are fading because they have failed to agree on who will chair a key negotiating committee, said the four trade officials."

Emma Farge reports for Reuters October 1, 2019.

Source: Reuters, 10/02/2019