Governance implications of the world trade organization agreement on fisheries subsidies for ghana’s marine small-scale fisheries

Abstract The World Trade Organization adopted the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies during its 12th Ministerial Conference, on 22 June 2022. This Agreement aims to fulfill Sustainable Development Goal target 14.6 by banning subsidies that contribute to overcapacity, overfishing, and illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Ghana has a large marine small-scale fishing fleet that supports coastal communities and is heavily reliant on input subsidies. Drawing on interviews conducted with government officials and fishers, this study examines the potential implications of the Agreement’s implementation for the governance of Ghana’s marine small-scale fisheries (SSF). The findings indicate that Ghana’s marine SSF is heavily reliant on capacity-enhancing subsidies and is experiencing dwindling fish stocks as a result of overcapacity, overfishing, IUU fishing, and climate change. This suggests that the withdrawal of subsidies will significantly affect Ghana’s marine SSF. Whether this will effectively address the problem will depend on first tackling the other main causes of overfishing and IUU fishing alongside the withdrawal of subsidies. This highlights an urgent need for comprehensive management and social reforms to prevent adverse outcomes for the marine SSF.