Liberalization vs. Barriers: Experiences from Selected Fish Exporting Countries in Asia

Research PaperIn many of the developing countries fish export is a significant source of foreign exchange earning that helps to stabilize macroeconomic indicators and provides nutrition and food security to the poor people of these countries. However, performance of fish export of these countries depend on, among other things, continued access to international markets. Though traditional barriers to trade such as tariffs and quantitative restrictions are reduced following the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreement, developing countries are concerned about regulatory barriers such as food safety regulations, quality and composition standards, and labeling requirements. Many consider these policies of the major fish importing countries as protectionist measures. This paper analyzes these issues of fish trade in the developing Asian countries