Why in news?
India accepted the fisheries-subsidy agreement of the World Trade Organization (WTO). It deposited its legal instrument on 20 July 2026. India became the 123rd member to complete formal acceptance. The agreement limits subsidies connected with harmful marine fishing practices.
Background
Governments support fishers through grants, fuel assistance, loans or equipment programmes.
Some assistance improves safety and livelihoods, but harmful support keeps excessive fishing capacity active.
Fish populations then decline faster than natural reproduction can restore them.
Marine fish cross borders, while fleets can operate far from their home countries.
Countries therefore negotiated common subsidy rules within the World Trade Organization.
How did the agreement develop?
- World Trade Organization members began fisheries-subsidy negotiations under the 2001 Doha mandate.
- United Nations members adopted Sustainable Development Goal 14 during 2015.
- Its target 14.6 called for removing subsidies linked with destructive fishing practices.
- Members adopted the agreement by consensus during the Geneva ministerial meeting in June 2022.
- The agreement received the necessary two-thirds acceptances during September 2025.
- It entered into force globally on 15 September 2025.
- India deposited its instrument of acceptance on 20 July 2026.
The 2022 meeting was the World Trade Organization’s Twelfth Ministerial Conference.
Depositing an instrument of acceptance legally confirms a country’s completed treaty approval.
Why is this agreement historic?
It is the first WTO agreement focused on environmental sustainability.
It is also the first broad, binding multilateral agreement supporting ocean sustainability.
Only the Trade Facilitation Agreement was concluded multilaterally earlier after the WTO’s creation.
Superlative alert: This is the WTO’s first agreement focused on environmental sustainability. It is the organisation’s second concluded multilateral agreement since 1995.
Which activities does it cover?
It covers subsidies for marine wild-capture fishing, meaning fish taken naturally rather than farmed.
Covered fishing-related activities include certain operations supporting vessels while they remain at sea.
Aquaculture and inland fishing are excluded because they do not capture wild marine fish.
Scope clarification: The agreement targets specified harmful subsidies, not every subsidy supporting marine wild-capture fishing.
First prohibition: illegal fishing
Members cannot subsidise vessels or operators found conducting illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
“Illegal” fishing violates applicable rules, while “unreported” fishing escapes reporting or supplies false information.
“Unregulated” fishing occurs outside effective controls or violates international conservation duties.
Relevant authorities must make the IUU determination under the agreement’s prescribed conditions.
Second prohibition: overfished stocks
Members cannot subsidise stocks officially found overfished by coastal or competent regional authorities.
However, support can continue when measures rebuild the stock towards sustainable levels.
This exception encourages conservation action instead of requiring a completely inactive government.
Third prohibition: unregulated high-seas fishing
Subsidies are barred beyond coastal jurisdiction where no competent regional body governs fishing.
Without regional bodies, distant waters can face weak oversight and competitive overfishing.
Regional Fisheries Management Organizations limit catches, seasons and equipment across shared-stock regions.
Coastal jurisdiction and the Exclusive Economic Zone
An Exclusive Economic Zone, or EEZ, generally extends 200 nautical miles from coastal baselines.
Coastal countries hold special resource rights there, but not complete territorial sovereignty.
Special provisions for developing members
The agreement recognises that developing countries need time, finance and technical capacity.
It provides a two-year dispute-settlement shield for specified subsidies within their EEZs.
The two-year period runs from the agreement’s global entry into force.
Members are also asked to exercise restraint concerning the poorest developing members.
A voluntary fisheries funding mechanism supports implementation and technical assistance.
Members must provide notifications that improve transparency concerning subsidies and fishing activity.
Why are negotiations still continuing?
The present agreement addresses major harmful practices but leaves other questions unfinished.
Members continue negotiating wider rules concerning subsidies that increase capacity and overfishing.
Developing members seek fair treatment for small fishers and livelihood needs.
Article 12 creates an unusual deadline for completing broader disciplines.
Without comprehensive rules within four years, the agreement could terminate automatically.
The World Trade Organization’s General Council can decide against such termination.
How has India prepared domestically?
India notified rules for sustainable fishing within its Exclusive Economic Zone during 2025.
It also issued guidelines for sustainable Indian fishing activity on the high seas.
These measures strengthen registration, monitoring, reporting and responsible resource use.
The Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana supports fisheries infrastructure and sustainable sector development.
India has emphasised protection for small-scale fishers during continuing trade negotiations.
Conclusion
India’s acceptance strengthens the agreement’s global reach against harmful fishing subsidies.
Future negotiations must balance marine conservation with fair support for vulnerable fishing communities.