"GENEVA - World Trade Organization negotiators have failed to reach a deal by a year-end deadline to cut the subsidies that have helped decimate the world’s fish stocks, but will try again next year, the chairman of the talks said on Monday.

The failure is a significant blow to the world’s fish stocks, which environmentalists say could be replenished by a deal, and to the WTO, which faces questions about its ability to strike multilateral agreements.

Colombia’s Santiago Wills said the talks had been hampered by delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic, though sources who attended a closed-door meeting said he had also told delegates that “major differences” remained.

But he did set out dates for further talks in 2021."

Emma Farge reports for Reuters December 14, 2020. [2]