U.S. Reasserts Commitment to Eliminating Subsidies Driving Collapse of World's Fisheries; Oceana Meets Ustr Portman; Photo Available

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WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 /U.S. Newswire/ -- "Eliminating the global subsidies that drive overfishing is the largest single action we can take now to protect our fisheries. This is within our reach and the choice is ours -- over the next two decades the health of the world's fisheries will be restored or they will be gone. Oceana is greatly encouraged by the efforts of the United States Trade Representative to ban the subsidies that are pushing the world's fisheries and ocean ecosystem to irreversible collapse."

Those were the words of Oceana CEO Andrew Sharpless following a meeting last Tuesday, February 21 with U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman on the status of the ongoing fisheries subsidies negotiations in the World Trade Organization (WTO). The pair met at the Trade Representative's office to exchange information on the efforts of their respective organizations to move the negotiations to a successful conclusion. Talks are currently underway in the WTO to strengthen the rules on fisheries subsidies, including through the prohibition of subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing.

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U.S. Reasserts Commitment to Eliminating Subsidies Driving Collapse of World's Fisheries; Oceana Meets Ustr Portman; Photo Available

Portman assured Sharpless that the United States remains committed in banning harmful fisheries subsidies and said that he would personally raise this with the European Union, which to date has not actively engaged on the issue. P...

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