A World Trade Organization Deal on Fisheries Subsidies: Across the finish line?

The document examines the progress of WTO negotiations on fisheries subsidies, detailing the three main pillars of the draft agreement: prohibitions on subsidies for illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing; subsidies for overfished stocks; and subsidies contributing to overcapacity and overfishing. It highlights the tension between imposing meaningful disciplines on the largest fishing nations and providing 'appropriate and effective special and differential treatment' for developing countries. The analysis also covers transparency requirements, notification obligations, and the potential inclusion of forced labour and non-specific fuel subsidies in the final deal.

• The draft agreement establishes a prohibition on subsidies for vessels or operators engaged in illegal, unreported, or unregulated (IUU) fishing, though this is balanced by requirements that IUU determinations follow basic procedural steps and a 2-year grace period for developing countries' artisanal fishing near the shore.
• Subsidies for fisheries where stocks are declared overfished are generally forbidden, but exemptions are permitted if the subsidy is intended to rebuild the stock or if fisheries management measures are in place to aid recovery.
• To address overcapacity and overfishing, the draft proposes prohibiting subsidies for operating costs (like fuel) and capital costs (like vessels), unless the member can demonstrate that management measures keep stocks at a "biologically sustainable level."
• Special and differential treatment for developing countries includes three potential exemptions from the overcapacity prohibition: temporary subsidies for fishing in their domestic exclusive economic zone (EEZ) or under an RFMO; permanent subsidies for low-income, resource-poor, and livelihood fishing within 12 nautical miles of the coast; and all subsidies for least-developed country (LDC) members and small fishing nations (those accounting for less than 0.7% of global marine capture production).
• The draft includes a provision that would exclude developing country members accounting for more than 10% of global marine capture production from using special and differential treatment, which, based on FAO data, would only apply to China.
• The agreement proposes strict rules for distant water fishing, including a ban on subsidies for fishing in the unregulated high seas and a ban on subsidies for vessels not flying the subsidizing member's flag.
• Transparency is enforced by conditioning the use of exemptions on the fulfillment of notification obligations; members must notify fisheries-related information and, for management-based flexibilities, provide data on the status of relevant stocks.

APA

Irschlinger, T., & Tipping, A. (2022). A World Trade Organization Deal on Fisheries Subsidies: Across the finish line? International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/articles/policy-analysis/world-trade-organization-deal-fisheries-subsidies

Chicago

Irschlinger, Tristan, and Alice Tipping. A World Trade Organization Deal on Fisheries Subsidies: Across the finish line? International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2022. https://www.iisd.org/articles/policy-analysis/world-trade-organization-deal-fisheries-subsidies.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Irschlinger |first1=Tristan |last2=Tipping |first2=Alice |title=A World Trade Organization Deal on Fisheries Subsidies: Across the finish line? |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=7 June 2022 |url=https://www.iisd.org/articles/policy-analysis/world-trade-organization-deal-fisheries-subsidies |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{irschlinger2022world, author = {Irschlinger, Tristan and Tipping, Alice}, title = {{A World Trade Organization Deal on Fisheries Subsidies: Across the finish line?}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2022}, month = jun, url = {https://www.iisd.org/articles/policy-analysis/world-trade-organization-deal-fisheries-subsidies}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }