Medidas de Gestao das Pescarias Marinhas e Aquicultura 2019 The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2018 | Page 165

THE STATE OF WORLD FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE 2018
plant-based feeds in aquaculture (Hasan and
Soto, 2017). In addition, climate-smart
aquaculture needs to be anchored in the
internationally agreed FAO Code of Conduct for
Responsible Fisheries and in approaches to
support its implementation, such as the
ecosystem approach to aquaculture and blue
growth, in order to address the three interlinked
dimensions of sustainabilit y (economic,
environmental and social). Guidance for adequate
planning and management must take into
account climate change impacts and fish farmers’
needs. n
FAO provides information, analysis and news on
world fish trade through its long running
Globefish programme. It has been enriching the
information on the Globefish website (w w w.fao.
org/in-action/globefish) and has made concerted
efforts to increase the usabilit y and availabilit y of
the raw and processed data. New areas include
reg ulations for market access and border rejection
data for major importing countries and regions,
market analyses and price data for 30 major
species of finfish, crustaceans, cephalopods and
other molluscs, and countr y-specific economic,
production and export data, including non-tariff
measures, to facilitate assessment of possible
market opportunities.
INTERNATIONAL TRADE,
SUSTAINABLE VALUE
CHAINS AND CONSUMER
PROTECTION
Trade policies implemented by countries –
including tariffs, subsidies and non-tariff
measures, such as food safet y and sustainabilit y
standards – significantly shape fisheries
production and trade, particularly with regard to
access to international markets. While many
trade measures have legitimate objectives, in
practice some of them, including private
standards, traceabilit y requirements (see Box 22),
higher tariffs for products with added value and
certification requirements, can create technical or
financial obstacles and restrict market access. A
recent study by the United Nations Conference
on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) indicated
that on average the number of technical measures
applicable to fish products is about 2.5 times that
applicable to manufactured products (Fugazza,
2017). Developing countries, as major suppliers of
fish and fish products in international trade, face
challenges in their capacit y to implement these
measures (in both the private and public sectors)
and in their abilit y to analyse and question
possibly protectionist measures in international
fora. In addition, because fish is perishable,
lengthy bureaucratic procedures can easily lead to
the loss of valuable cargo.
Of all animal protein commodities, fish and fish
products are among the most traded in terms of
value and the most subject to competition from
imported products. Around 78 percent of fish
production is subject to international trade
competition (Tveterås et al., 2012). This trade f low
is particularly important for developing countries,
which accounted for 59 percent of world exports
and 46 percent of world imports of fish and fish
products in 2016, by quantit y (in live weight
equivalent). The considerable international trade
f low of fish and fish products generates
opportunities, but also raises the issue of
potential trade barriers.
In terms of market opportunities for fish and fish
products, the strong demand in the major
importing countries and regions and the variet y
of existing tradable fish species create a natural
incentive to trade. To take advantage of these
trade opportunities, many countries, particularly
developing ones, must overcome difficulties not
only in obtaining the necessar y information for
assessing market opportunities in foreign
markets and identif ying specific niches for their
products, but also in acquiring the necessar y
knowledge and expertise to implement technical
and food safet y measures to comply with
international standards.
To reduce the potential negative impact of trade
measures, FAO promotes debate on market access
issues at the sessions of the Subcommittee on
Fish Trade and works jointly with other
international bodies such as the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP), UNCTAD,
W HO and W TO. In 2016, FAO, UNCTAD and
UNEP developed and widely promoted the Joint
Statement on Fisheries Subsidies, which has since »
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