-
-
The debate over financial support to the fisheries sector has spawned a variety of definitions and classification frameworks, with potential for creating confusion about coverage and the implications for policy. The definition used by the OECD is government financial transfer (GFT) which is the monetary value of government interventions associated with fisheries policies. This chapter discusses definitional issues and data limitations, and presents the data in OECD countries for the period 1996-2003.
-
This chapter provides an overview of the concept of sustainable development and discusses its application to the analysis of GFTs provided to the fisheries sector. A checklist approach to analysing the effects of subsidy programs within the framework of the sustainable development paradigm is proposed as a way of developing a pragmatic and simple approach to answering the key policy questions on fisheries GFTs.
-
-
-
These data are for government financial transfers to the marine capture fisheries in OECD countries and exclude transfers to the aquaculture and processing sectors. The data have been obtained from the annual statistical returns from OECD Member countries. In some cases, gaps in the data for particular years have been filled by OECD Secretariat estimates.
-
This chapter reviews the economic effects of government financial transfers. Using a model of fisheries, it applies a matrix approach to determine the effects of transfers under different combinations of management parameters (including whether or not there are property rights over the resource and whether catch or effort controls are used).
-
-
This chapter seeks to identify the key policy and analytical issues in assessing the social effects of providing subsidies, within a sustainable development framework. A range of frameworks that can help the social analysis are identified but none are found to be ideally suited to the fisheries sector.
-
Using the concept of social capital the paper examines the interrelationships between fisheries governance and performance and government financial transfers to the fisheries sector. It is argued that social capital plays a crucial role in promoting trust and cooperation among fishers, both of which are needed to reduce the ‘race to fish’ and ‘effort creep’ inherent in fisheries.
-
This case study forms part of Canada’s contribution to the OECD Committee for Fisheries project analysing the effects of government financial transfers (GFTs) on the fishing industry. Earlier Committee work had focused on trade and economic impacts; the analysis has been broadened in the current programme of work to include the effect of GFTs within a sustainable development paradigm.
-
-
Fisheries subsidies in Norway have a long and interesting history. In the first years after the Second World War the fisheries of Norway were quite profitable, and reserve funds were accumulated through levies on exports of fish. After a few years the fishing industry began to lag behind other industries in terms of productivity, and the funds were used to support declining incomes in the industry.
-
Concerns about the overcapacity of global fishing fleets and the unsustainable harvest of fish stocks have resulted in increased attention being directed at subsidies to fishing. There is currently significant debate on the environmental and trade impacts of the various subsidies used worldwide and the manner in which subsidies should be disciplined.