Kathleen Auld: The WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies (Seminar)

In this episode, Dr Kathleen Auld presents on the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies. The adoption of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies (AFS) in 2022 was hailed by many as a triple win for environment, development, and trade. The idea of a ‘triple win’ is not unique to the WTO and reflects the broader rhetoric around sustainable development. Yet the idea of facilitating environmental and social protection through trade liberalisation is in stark contrast to the traditional practices of trade bodies. Trade agreements, if they include environmental and social protection at all, generally do so to offset the negative externalities caused by greater liberalisation of trade. The bans on fisheries subsidies implemented by the AFS and regional trade agreements like the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), thus represent an interesting case study on whether complementarities between trade, environment, and development goals are possible and realistic. The presentation focuses on the AFS and its potential real-world impacts, to understand if the idealistic vision of a triple win has materialised, or if ongoing negotiations will need to do more to realise this ambition. The episode is an edited recording of a seminar presented on 6 November 2024, chaired by Professor Margaret Young and co-hosted by the Institute for International Law and the Humanities and the Melbourne Centre for Law and the Environment. Dr. Kathleen Auld is a Lecturer in Ocean Sustainability, Governance, and Management within the World Maritime University’s Masters in Maritime Affairs programme. Dr. Auld’s research focuses primarily on sustainable fisheries and oceans as well as the relationship between trade and fisheries. Her particular research interests include IUU fishing, socio-economic aspects of fishing and ocean governance, and fisheries subsidies.