IN BRIEF

WTO Only Nine Ratifications Away From Fisheries Subsidies Going Into Force 24 June 2025

Panama was the recent nation to formally accept the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) much-anticipated Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies. Only nine more acceptances are required for the Agreement to enter into force. On June 12,  Minister of Trade and Industry, Julio Moltó, formally accepted the agreement from Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director General, WTO. He said: “Our ratification reaffirms Panama’s commitment to the multilateral system and to protecting its seas.”

The Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies was formally adopted in June 2022, at the WTO’s 12th Ministerial Conference, to regulate and limit harmful fisheries subsidies, particularly those that contribute to overfishing, overcapacity, and IUU fishing. To date, 102 nations have already signed the agreement, and it needs to hit 111 to go into force. Tuna-fishing nations in the EU, China, Mauritius, and Ecuador are some of them. The US accepted the agreement in April 2023 and another superpower, Russia, which has no tuna fishing boats, is among those that have formally accepted it.

Is Illegal Bluefin Catch Becoming Rampant In Italy? 23 June 2025

Italy has reported several incidents of illegal bluefin fishing with over 10 tons seized in the past six months. The most recent took place in Teulada, southwest of Cagliari, in May. Coast Guard and fisheries officials confiscated nine illegally caught bluefin while they were being transferred into a truck. The perpetrators were issued a fine of EUR 5,400.

Officials are donating these illegally captured fish to people from economically disadvantaged families. The Catania Veterinary Department, along with food banks and NGOs, will hand over the fish in the coming days under the ‘Cuore Generoso’ and ‘Ri-Pescato’ projects, which donate seized food, reported Italian news sites. The veterinary department did inspection and laboratory analysis to ensure that the fish are healthy for consumption.

 

 

 

 

John Burton Leaves GTA’s Advisory Group 20 June 2025

John Burton, a founding member of the Global Tuna Alliance (GTA), has stepped down from the organization’s Partnership Advisory Group. Sarah Eames, COO of World Wise Foods, will fill the vacant position in the Group. GTA announced this in a press statement. It said that Burton was one of the longest-serving members of the Advisory Group and “played a pivotal role in helping shape our direction, challenge our thinking, and drive real change for sustainable tuna and promoting the interests of small-scale tuna fisheries in developing coastal states.”

Burton is the Co-Founder of the International Pole-and-Line Foundation (IPNLF), established to support pole-and-line caught tuna fisheries. He is the founder of UK-based World Wise Foods and holds the majority of the shares. Burton is also the Director and Chair of the company.  Through his Sustainable Fisheries and Communities Trust, he funds several human rights initiatives and environmental NGOs that protect the livelihoods of coastal communities in vulnerable coastal states in the Indian Ocean.

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