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Global Overfishing Subsidy Ban Takes Effect After 20-Year Fight
The WTO deal bans subsidies for illegal and overfished stocks, with 112 countries participating to protect ocean ecosystems and support sustainable fishing practices.
- The WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, agreed in 2022 and formally ratified by 112 countries including Brazil, Kenya, Tonga, and Vietnam, took effect on Monday 2025-09-15.
- The agreement, concluding over two decades of stalled talks, seeks to reduce the vast subsidies that fuel overfishing and the decline of global fish populations.
- The agreement initially addresses subsidies that support illegal fishing and exploit overfished stocks, whereas the portion dealing with subsidies that lead to excess fishing capacity, including shipbuilding, is still being negotiated and has yet to be finalized.
- Global fisheries subsidies total about US$35.4 billion annually, with $22 billion encouraging excess fleet capacity, and experts hope the agreement’s binding rules and fish fund will aid developing countries and support stock recovery.
- Experts warn the first phase alone won’t end harmful subsidies fueling overcapacity, and the deal will expire in four years if broader rules are not agreed, indicating the need for continued global efforts to protect fish stocks.
110 Articles
110 Articles
The World Trade Organization (WTO) announced that a landmark agreement to reduce billions of dollars worth of subsidies that countries have been providing for overfishing came into force today.
WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies enters into force; strong support for multilateralism
At a special General Council meeting on 15 September, WTO members celebrated the entry into force of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, which commits members to curbing billions of dollars in annual spending on the most harmful subsidies that contribute to the depletion of marine fish stocks.
The WTO agreement on fisheries subsidies enters into force this Monday after years of complicated negotiations. The text, the first on the environment, lays down binding rules for states. The signatories must therefore take into account the legality and sustainability of the activities they assist. - End of illegal fishing subsidies: what does the agreement that entered into force this Monday? (Environment).
A new WTO agreement is intended to put an end to ruthless fishing in the world's oceans, banning subsidies from the most harmful fishing fleets, and environmentalists welcome the agreement.
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