Fisheries subsidies
Topic: International Trade Policy, WTO and Intellectual Property · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Fisheries subsidies are government support to the fishing sector, such as cheap fuel or payments for boats. Some of this support drives illegal fishing and empties fish stocks. The WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies was adopted at MC12 (2022) and entered into force on 15 September 2025, after two-thirds of members accepted it. It bans subsidies to:
- IUU fishing (illegal, unreported, unregulated);
- fishing of overfished stocks;
- fishing on the unregulated high seas.
The "Fish 2" talks, on subsidies that cause overcapacity and overfishing, are still unfinished.
Example
India wants special and differential treatment in these rules, which means more flexibility for developing countries. It also wants protection for its artisanal and small-scale fishers and its EEZ (its exclusive economic zone at sea). India argues that large distant-water fishing nations, which subsidise the most, should make bigger cuts ("polluter pays").
Related concepts
- Trade remedies
- Dumping
- Margin of dumping
- Anti-dumping duty
- Lesser duty rule
- Countervailing duty
- Safeguard duty
- Sunset review
- Export subsidies