At a special General Council meeting on 15 September 2025, the World Trade Organization (WTO) members celebrated the entry into force of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, which commits members to curbing billions of dollars (US$) in annual spending on the most harmful subsidies that contribute to the depletion of marine fish stocks. Hailing the agreement as a “landmark for global trade governance”, WTO Director-General (DG) thanked WTO members for their commitment to protecting the livelihoods of fishing communities around the world. “This Agreement demonstrates how you can put trade in the service of both people and planet,” she said.
The agreement is the WTO’s first multilateral agreement with environmental sustainability at its core. It prohibits government support for illegal fishing activities and overexploitation of stocks, contributing to the protection of marine life.
At the meeting, the WTO DG received the instruments of acceptance of the agreement from Brazil, Kenya, Vietnam and Tonga, bringing the total number of acceptances over the threshold of two-thirds of WTO members needed for the agreement to enter into force.
In her address to the WTO membership, WTO DG said: “At a time when the international trading system faces profound challenges, the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies sends a powerful signal that WTO members can work together in a spirit of cooperation and shared responsibility to deliver solutions to global challenges. The entry into force of this agreement stands as a reminder that many of the biggest challenges we face are more effectively addressed at the multilateral level. People and nations need a multilateralism that delivers – which is why today is so reassuring.”
The WTO DG signed the official depositary notification of the agreement’s entry into force and handed it to the General Council Chair (Saudi Arabia Ambassador), marking the official integration of the agreement into the WTO legal framework.
The Saudi Arabian ambassador said, “This Agreement is a testament to our shared vision for sustainable global fisheries. Acceptance of the protocol has demanded not just the engagement of our ambassadors and delegates here in Geneva. It has also involved genuine political will and careful coordination in capitals. It is thanks to our collective resolve and commitment that we witness its entry into force today.”
The GC chair also announced that Mali and Oman have ratified the Agreement and that they will be depositing their instruments of acceptance “in the very near future”.
Members hailed the agreement as a significant milestone for the WTO, emphasising that it confirms their commitment to the multilateral trading system and to a more sustainable planet. They also pledged to start implementing the agreement, underscoring the key role it will play in restoring fish stocks, protecting the livelihoods of fishing communities and promoting food security.
By establishing rules that prohibit the worst forms of harmful fisheries subsidies, the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies will help to protect the world’s fish stocks and the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people who depend on fisheries for food, income and employment.
Adopted by consensus at the WTO’s 12th Ministerial Conference in June 2022, the agreement’s disciplines prohibit subsidies for illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, for fishing overfished stocks, and for fishing on the unregulated high seas.
In 2021, 35.5% of global fish stocks were overfished compared with 10% in 1974. It is estimated that subsidies to marine fishing activities total $35 billion per year globally. Of this amount, around $22 billion is considered to be harmful, contributing to the depletion of marine stocks.
The WTO DG said, “I strongly encourage all remaining members to complete their acceptances without delay. One of my key aspirations is to see the agreement ratified by all members by the 14th Ministerial Conference [scheduled for March 2026], where we will have the opportunity to celebrate this collective achievement together.”
Several WTO members echoed the DG’s call for all members to ratify the agreement. They offered their support for capacity building in developing economies to help them implement the agreement.
Information for members on how to accept the Protocol of Amendment is accessible at:
https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/rulesneg_e/fish_e/agreement_fisher…
Implementation of the agreement
Ministers have established the WTO Fish Fund to provide developing economies and least-developed countries (LDCs) with technical assistance and capacity-building needed to implement the new obligations and manage their own fisheries more sustainably.
Seventeen members have pledged the equivalent of more than $18 million to the WTO Fish Fund.
The fund has launched its first Call for Proposals, inviting eligible members who have ratified the agreement to submit requests for project grants aimed at supporting their implementation of the Agreement. Applications are due by 09 October 2025.
The WTO Fish Fund portal is accessible at:
To oversee implementation of the agreement, a Committee on Fisheries Subsidies will be established to maintain regular dialogue on members’ fishing practices and subsidies and to increase transparency on governments’ practices.
The list of WTO members which have deposited their instruments of acceptance of the agreement with the WTO, and. a video compiling all the deposits is accessible at:
https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/rulesneg_e/fish_e/fish_acceptances_e.htm
A fact sheet outlining the objectives and benefits of the agreement is accessible at:
https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/rulesneg_e/fish_e/fish_factsheet_e.pdf
The WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies is accessible at:
https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/rulesneg_e/fish_e/fish_e.htm
