Self-Assessment Tool for the Implementation of the WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement

The document provides a comprehensive framework for WTO Members to align domestic policies with the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies (FSA). It details a methodology using inventory tables, current alignment assessments, and ongoing alignment mechanisms to ensure the prohibition of subsidies for IUU fishing, overfished stocks, and unregulated high seas activities. The guide also outlines transparency and notification requirements, special provisions for Least Developed Countries (LDCs), and the availability of technical assistance.

• Subsidies for fishing or fishing-related activities regarding stocks recognized as overfished are prohibited, unless the subsidies or other measures are specifically implemented to rebuild the stock to a biologically sustainable level.
• The Agreement prohibits subsidies for fishing or fishing-related activities that occur on the high seas if those activities fall outside the jurisdiction of a coastal Member and outside the competence of a relevant RFMO/A.
• Members are required to exercise 'special care' and 'due restraint' when granting subsidies to vessels that do not fly the subsidizing Member's flag or when granting subsidies for activities regarding stocks whose status is unknown.
• A two-year 'peace clause' exists for developing country and LDC Members, meaning subsidies provided to fishing activities within their own exclusive economic zone (EEZ) cannot be challenged via the WTO dispute settlement mechanism for the first two years after the FSA's entry into force.
• The FSA establishes a voluntary WTO funding mechanism to provide targeted technical assistance and capacity building to developing country and LDC Members to help them implement the agreement's disciplines.
• Members have extensive transparency obligations, including the annual notification of a list of vessels and operators determined to have engaged in IUU fishing and the provision of detailed information on the type of fishing activity for which subsidies are provided.
• For LDCs and developing country Members with an annual share of global marine capture production not exceeding 0.8%, the requirement to provide additional fisheries-related information in regular subsidy notifications is reduced to once every four years.
• Members must notify the Committee within one year of the FSA's entry into force regarding the measures they have taken to implement the agreement and provide a description of their relevant fisheries regime.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2022). Self-Assessment Tool for the Implementation of the WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-10/assessment-tool-wto-fisheries-subsidies-agreement.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Self-Assessment Tool for the Implementation of the WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement. 2022. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-10/assessment-tool-wto-fisheries-subsidies-agreement.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Self-Assessment Tool for the Implementation of the WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement |date=October 2022 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-10/assessment-tool-wto-fisheries-subsidies-agreement.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2022selfassessment, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Self-Assessment Tool for the Implementation of the WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2022}, month = oct, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-10/assessment-tool-wto-fisheries-subsidies-agreement.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }