WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies Enters into Force

At a special General Council meeting on 15 September, World Trade Organization (WTO) members celebrated the entry into force of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies. This marks the WTO’s first multilateral agreement with environmental sustainability at its core, targeting billions of dollars in harmful subsidies that contribute to the depletion of marine fish stocks.

Adopted in 2022, Ratified in 2025
The agreement was adopted at the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference on 17 June 2022. It officially entered into force once two-thirds of WTO members submitted their instruments of acceptance—a threshold reached on 15 September 2025.

Key Provisions of the Agreement
The Agreement places strict disciplines on subsidies that encourage overfishing and unsustainable practices, including:

• Banning subsidies to vessels or operators engaged in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
• Prohibiting subsidies for fishing on overfished stocks.
• Ending subsidies for fishing activities on the unregulated high seas, beyond the jurisdiction of any coastal state.

Support for Developing Economies
To ensure equitable implementation, WTO members established the WTO Fish Fund, which will provide developing countries and least-developed countries (LDCs) with technical assistance and capacity-building to meet new obligations and manage fisheries sustainably.

India Yet to Ratify
Despite the global milestone, India has not ratified the agreement, reflecting ongoing domestic concerns over the impact on its fishing communities and subsidy policies.