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Government support for fishing
Catches from sea fishing have been declining both because of falling stocks due to over-fishing and because of national and international measures to preserve the remaining fish resources. This has been particularly marked in the Northern Hemisphere and has lead governments in many OECD countries to provide financial support to the fishing industry.
Definition
The time series "Government financial transfers (GFT)” provides an indicator of the financial support received by the fishery sector. GFTs consist of direct revenue enhancing transfers (direct payments), transfers that reduce the operating costs, and the costs of general services provided to the fishing industry. These general services consist mainly of fishery protection services but also include the costs of local area weather forecasting and the costs of navigation and satellite surveillance systems designed to assist fishing fleets.
Comparability
The data are relatively comprehensive and consistent across the years, but some year-to-year variations must be interpreted with caution, as they may reflect changes in national statistical systems. Note too that the general services provided by government may contain large and irregular capital investments. For example, the GFTs for Greece in 2001 and in particular for 2002 include the implementation cost of a satellite control system.
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GFT for selected countries Million US dollars
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Long-term trends Overall transfers to the fishing industry have been fluctuating at around USD 6 billion during the last decade. This represents around 15% of the value of the total catch from maritime capture. Most of the GFTs cover general services, which represent approximately 78% of the total GFTs. The remaining spending consists of direct payments (around 13% of total GFTs) and cost reducing transfers (around 9% of total GFTs). |
Source
- OECD (2005), Review of Fisheries in OECD Countries Vol. 2 – Country Statistics 2001-2003, OECD, Paris.
Further information
Analytical publications
- Cox, A. (2003), OECD Work on Defining and Measuring Subsidies in Fisheries, OECD, Paris.
- Cox, A. (2004), Subsidies and Deep-Sea Fisheries Management: Policy Issues and Challenges, OECD, Paris.
- Cox, A. and C. Schmidt (2003), Subsidies in the OECD Fisheries Sector: A Review of Recent Analysis and Future Directions, background paper for the FAO Expert Consultation on Identifying, Assessing and Reporting on Subsidies in the Fishing Industry, Rome, 3-6 December 2002.
- OECD (2005), Environmentally Harmful Subsidies: Challenges for Reform, OECD, Paris.
- OECD (2006), OECD Sustainable Development Studies – Subsidy Reform and Sustainable Development: Economic, Environmental and Social Aspects, OECD, Paris.
- OECD (2007), The Human Side of Fisheries Adjustment, OECD, Paris.
- Schmidt, C. (2004), Globalisation, Industry Structure, Market Power and Impact on Fish Trade Opportunities and Challenges for Developed (OECD) Countries, paper prepared for the FAO Industry and Expert Consultation on International Trade, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 3-5 December 2003.
Websites
- OECD Fisheries, www.oecd.org/agr/fish.
| Texts | |
| • | Indicator web page |
| • | Indicator in PDF |
| Tables (xls) | |
| • | Government financial transfers for fishing |
| Graphics | |
| • | Government financial transfers |
Government financial transfers
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