The other day I told you how there’s a good chance we could see an end to commercial overfishing subsidies through WTO negotiations. And my organization is not alone in making the case to the World Trade Organization. At least 125 scientists from 27 countries feel the same way and sent a letter to the WTO making it clear that “an ambitious outcome in the ongoing WTO fisheries subsidies negotiations is vital to the future of the world’s fisheries.”
The scientists who signed the letter are a who’s who of ocean fisheries scientists, including Daniel Pauly, Boris Worm, Jeremy B.C. Jackson, Andrew Rosenberg, Carl Safina, Callum Roberts, Larry Crowder, and Wallace “J” Nichols. These leading experts made the stakes clear: “Fisheries subsidies,” they note in the letter, “produce such strong economic incentives to overfish that reducing them is one of the most significant actions that can be taken to combat global overfishing.” How’s that for pressure?
You can see the full letter here (PDF).
