{"id":79779,"date":"2026-07-21T18:17:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T12:47:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=79779"},"modified":"2026-07-21T18:19:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T12:49:18","slug":"wto-fisheries-subsidies-agreement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/21-07-2026\/wto-fisheries-subsidies-agreement","title":{"rendered":"WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Economy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Recently, India deposited its <strong>Instrument of Acceptance<\/strong> of the <strong>WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies<\/strong>, becoming the <strong>123rd member<\/strong> to join the Agreement.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It was adopted by consensus at the <strong>12th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC12)<\/strong> held in <strong>Geneva in June 2022<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It entered into force on <strong>15 September 2025<\/strong> after receiving acceptance from two-thirds of WTO members.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is the <strong>first WTO multilateral agreement with an environmental sustainability objective<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Objectives:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>To eliminate subsidies that encourage <strong>Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>To discourage subsidies contributing to the <strong>overfishing of depleted fish stocks<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For the <strong>sustainable use and long-term conservation of marine resources.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>To establish a rules-based global fisheries governance framework.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Scope of Agreement:<\/strong> The Agreement covers marine wild capture fisheries and fishing-related activities conducted at sea.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It<strong> excludes aquaculture and inland fisheries.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ebecf0\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p><strong>Other WTO subsidies<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (SCM Agreement):<\/strong> Deals with subsidies that <strong>affect trade in goods.<\/strong> It prohibits export subsidies and import substitution subsidies and allows action against subsidies which cause injury.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Agreement on Agriculture (AoA):<\/strong> Covering domestic support, export subsidies and market access. Domestic support is classified in terms of trade distortion into <strong>Amber Box, Blue Box and Green Box.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS): <\/strong>There is no comprehensive discipline on subsidies under GATS. WTO members continue talks on developing rules for services subsidies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why is India&#8217;s Acceptance Significant?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Safeguarding Small-Scale Fishers: <\/strong>India\u2019s fisheries sector is dominated by <strong>traditional and artisanal fishers<\/strong>, unlike several developed countries that operate large distant-water industrial fleets.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Agreement sets up a more equitable international fisheries regime.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It examines harmful subsidies that promote industrial scale fishing and supports the protection of livelihoods that depend on marine resources.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Enhanced Sustainable Fisheries: <\/strong>India\u2019s approval is in line with its broader <strong>Blue Economy<\/strong> and <strong>SDG-14 (Life Below Water)<\/strong> commitments.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Agreement promotes responsible fishing practices, conservation of marine biodiversity and sustainable use of fish stocks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Boost to India\u2019s Seafood Exports:<\/strong> Global seafood markets are demanding more and more sustainable sourcing, traceability and environment-friendly production practices.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India\u2019s accession is likely to enhance its credibility as a responsible seafood exporter, improve access to premium international markets and increase the confidence of importing countries.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The agreement is <strong>unlikely to have an adverse impact on India\u2019s export competitiveness<\/strong> as India\u2019s seafood exports are <strong>mainly aquaculture based<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Present Fisheries Management System in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Sustainable Harnessing of Fisheries in the EEZ Rules, 2025: <\/strong>It provides for fishing in <strong>India&#8217;s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)<\/strong> and promotes sustainable harvesting practices.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Guidelines for Sustainable Harnessing of Fisheries in the High Seas (2025): <\/strong>It regulates the functioning of vessels flying the Indian flag in international waters, and promotes responsible fishing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY): <\/strong>It aims at capacity building, infrastructure development, sustainable fisheries, fisheries value chains and welfare of fishers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>These measures ensure marine conservation and maintain sufficient policy space for <strong>traditional and small-scale fishers.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Benefits for India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Economic:<\/strong> Increased market access; improved export reputation; and continued competitiveness of prawn exports.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Environmental<\/strong>: Decreased pressure on marine ecosystems; conservation of fish stocks; and improved marine governance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Social:<\/strong> Livelihoods, support to coastal communities, equitable resource use.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Strategic: <\/strong>Supports India&#8217;s commitment to a rules-based multilateral trading system; and shows leadership in sustainable ocean governance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges Ahead<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Effective monitoring of <strong>Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU)<\/strong> fishing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Enhanced surveillance in India\u2019s EEZ.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Balancing conservation and livelihood concerns.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ensuring sufficient support to small fishers during implementation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Addressing outstanding negotiations on broader fisheries subsidies under the WTO framework.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pib.gov.in\/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2286763&amp;reg=48&amp;lang=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source: PIB<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Recently, India deposited its Instrument of Acceptance of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, becoming the 123rd member to join the Agreement. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> About WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> It was adopted by consensus at the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC12) held in Geneva in June 2022. <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> It entered into force on 15 September 2025 after receiving acceptance from two-thirds of WTO members. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/21-07-2026\/wto-fisheries-subsidies-agreement \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-79779","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79779","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79779"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79779\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79782,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79779\/revisions\/79782"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79779"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79779"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79779"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}