Supporting the Implementation of New WTO Rules on Fisheries Subsidies

The document identifies six key areas where technical assistance and capacity building (TACB) are needed to implement a future WTO instrument on fisheries subsidies: identifying and notifying subsidies, ensuring compliance with prohibitions, establishing domestic rules, re-purposing subsidy schemes, identifying IUU fishing and overfished stocks, and strengthening management regimes. Analysis of OECD and Pew Charitable Trusts data from 2012–2017 reveals that while fisheries-related official development assistance (ODA) has grown, it remains a small fraction (0.3%) of total sector-allocable ODA. The brief finds a significant gap in support for subsidy reform and IUU monitoring, while a large portion of funding is directed toward general fisheries management and development projects that may inadvertently increase fishing capacity in regions like Africa.

• Implementation of a future WTO instrument on fisheries subsidies will require members to undertake several compliance steps, including creating inventories of existing subsidies to meet notification requirements and establishing mechanisms to withdraw prohibited support, such as subsidies for vessel construction or fuel.
• Beyond legal compliance, the effectiveness of a new WTO instrument depends on broader capacity building in areas such as re-purposing harmful subsidies toward social protection or sustainable management, improving the detection of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and conducting regular fish stock assessments.
• Official development assistance (ODA) for the fisheries sector between 2009 and 2018 totaled over USD 3.3 billion, but this represents only 0.3% of total sector-allocable ODA.
• Analysis of ODA disbursements from 2012 to 2017 shows a critical lack of funding for subsidy reform and IUU monitoring; specifically, IUU monitoring and enforcement accounted for only 2% of total disbursements, and fish stock assessments and preservation accounted for only 1%.
• A significant portion of fisheries-related ODA, particularly in Africa, is directed toward 'fisheries development' (such as building ports and providing engines), which may conflict with WTO goals by increasing fishing capacity and effort in areas with limited management capacity.
• The document recommends that capacity-constrained members conduct country-specific needs assessments, potentially following the model of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, to map gaps in their ability to implement new fisheries subsidy rules.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2020). Supporting the Implementation of New WTO Rules on Fisheries Subsidies. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2020-12/wto-fisheries-subsidies-technical-assistance.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Supporting the Implementation of New WTO Rules on Fisheries Subsidies. 2020. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2020-12/wto-fisheries-subsidies-technical-assistance.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Supporting the Implementation of New WTO Rules on Fisheries Subsidies |date=November 2020 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2020-12/wto-fisheries-subsidies-technical-assistance.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2020supporting, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Supporting the Implementation of New WTO Rules on Fisheries Subsidies}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2020}, month = nov, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2020-12/wto-fisheries-subsidies-technical-assistance.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }