SDG 14: Life Below Water | SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
Institutions: Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying
On 15 September 2025, the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies officially entered into force, after Brazil, Kenya, Tonga, and Vietnam deposited their instruments of acceptance, bringing the total ratifications above the required two-thirds threshold. The Agreement prohibits government subsidies for illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing; for fishing overfished stocks without recovery measures; and for fishing in unregulated high seas. It is the first WTO agreement with environmental sustainability as its central aim. Members are also encouraged to enhance transparency via notification of subsidies and fishing activities. A WTO βFish Fundβ is set up to assist developing and least-developed countries in implementation.
This is a landmark move toward curbing harmful subsidies that drive overfishing and damage marine ecosystems, which many coastal and fishing communities around the world depend on for food, income, and ecological balance.
For India, which has both large coastal fisheries and fishing subsidies, it means regulatory changes are needed to align subsidy programs with WTO rules. Ministries handling fisheries, environment, and trade will need to review existing support schemes, ensure they don't violate new prohibitions (especially for overfished stocks, IUU fishing), and strengthen transparency and reporting.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: Which existing Indian subsidy schemes may need reform or removal under this agreement? How will India scale capacity for monitoring, enforcement, and notification of subsidies and fishing activity?
Link to full news release:
https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news25_e/fish_15sep25_e.htm