OECD governments pay out around USD 6 billion a year to support the fisheries sector. Some of this expenditure is provided to help ensure the effective management of fisheries through the provision of research, administrative and enforcement services. However, its effects on economic profitability and resource sustainability are open to debate. Such support has often been linked to over-fishing and over-capitalisation, and its reform may lead to improved economic, environmental and social outcomes. This report analyses the impacts of such transfers from a sustainable development perspective by addressing the economic, environmental and social dimensions of financial transfers. Through this innovative focus, this study will deepen policy makers’ understanding of the complex issues at play in the fisheries sector — a sector that is characterised by ongoing concerns regarding economic profitability, community resilience, and resource sustainability.
