As I said, the agreement makes no mention of any specific species. It covers all species and refers the issue of overfishing to international organizations such as the FAO. This is a solution the WTO has chosen to avoid having to deal with the problem. Obviously, the WTO is not an expert body in environmental issues. That is why institutions such as the FAO, which has developed a code of conduct for responsible fisheries, have a key role to play. All the scientific issues relating to fishing stocks—the hot potato, as it were—are referred to other international organizations deemed to be experts in the field.
