Fisheries Subsidies and the WTO: How far have we come?

This research paper by Tristan Irschlinger provides a state-of-play analysis as of March 2025 regarding the World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations on fisheries subsidies. It evaluates the impact of the 2022 Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies (Fish 1) and the ongoing efforts to establish broader rules (Fish 2) to address the root causes of overcapacity and overfishing.

• The 2022 WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies (Fish 1) prohibits government subsidies in three specific scenarios: when fishing is illegal, when fish stocks are overfished without recovery measures, and when fishing occurs on the high seas without collective management.
• As of March 2025, the 2022 agreement requires 17 more ratifications to enter into force, having already been ratified by 94 of the 111 members needed for legal enforceability.
• WTO members are negotiating a second set of rules (Fish 2) to address the root causes of overfishing and fleet overcapacity, as the 2022 agreement only targets the most acute manifestations of the problem.
• Despite significant convergence on the substance of the Fish 2 rules during meetings in Abu Dhabi (MC13) and Geneva, full consensus has remained elusive due to the demands of at least two large developing country members for substantial changes.
• The proposed 'hybrid' approach for Fish 2 includes a broad prohibition on subsidies contributing to overfishing and overcapacity, with exemptions for members who can demonstrate healthy fisheries management. Requirements for this demonstration are stricter for distant water fishing nations, large subsidizers, and developed members.
• The draft Fish 2 rules include special and differential treatment for developing countries, featuring permanent exemptions for small-scale fishing and very small fishing nations, as well as temporary exemptions for large-scale fishing.

APA

Irschlinger, T. (2025). Fisheries Subsidies and the WTO: How far have we come? International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/articles/policy-analysis/wto-fisheries-subsidies

Chicago

Irschlinger, Tristan. Fisheries Subsidies and the WTO: How far have we come? International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2025. https://www.iisd.org/articles/policy-analysis/wto-fisheries-subsidies.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Irschlinger |first1=Tristan |title=Fisheries Subsidies and the WTO: How far have we come? |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=26 March 2025 |url=https://www.iisd.org/articles/policy-analysis/wto-fisheries-subsidies |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{irschlinger2025fisheries, author = {Irschlinger, Tristan}, title = {{Fisheries Subsidies and the WTO: How far have we come?}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2025}, month = mar, url = {https://www.iisd.org/articles/policy-analysis/wto-fisheries-subsidies}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }