Rep. Panetta Leads Letter to USTR Urging Action on Fishing Subsidies at WTO Negotiations

SALINAS, CA – Today, Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Carmel Valley) wrote and sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai supporting her efforts to secure a multilateral agreement to curb harmful fishing subsidies at this month's twelfth Ministerial Conference (MC12). Governments around the world are providing tens of billion in subsidies, which has led to illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and forced labor on fishing vessels. Negotiations to reach a treaty to curb fisheries subsidies have been ongoing for over two decades, and the United States has been a leader in pushing for a strong, enforceable agreement.

"If we are going to tackle illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and forced labor on fishing vessels, we have to address the subsidies that drive those nefarious activities," said Rep. Panetta. "I'm proud of the leadership that the USTR has shown as WTO fisheries subsidies negotiations have progressed, and their focus on the link between criminal activity on the high seas and subsidies. I fully support their efforts to fight for and secure a high-standards agreement on subsidies as negotiations continue."

"U.S. leadership at all levels is critical to getting a fisheries subsides deal across the finish line. Given that the Ministerial Conference is just over a week away, Rep. Jimmy Panetta's letter is extremely timely," said Isabel Jarrett, who leads the end harmful fisheries subsidies project at The Pew Charitable Trusts. "After more than 20 years of negotiations, we are incredibly close to reaching an agreement to curb harmful fisheries subsidies. A binding, multilateral treaty that constrains one of the key drivers of overfishing would be an impressive achievement, particularly because the current draft establishes wider and more robust obligations for many more governments than the rules on fisheries subsidies in existing regional trade agreements."