Key Provisions
- The Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies applies to specific subsidies provided to marine wild capture fishing and fishing related activities. It would enhance World Trade Organization (WTO) Members' fisheries management by, among others, incorporating sustainability assessments in the disciplines, creating robust transparency obligations and requiring cooperation among agencies.
- Specifically, the Agreement would curb harmful fisheries subsidies by:
- prohibiting Members from providing fisheries subsidies:
- contributing to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing;
- to fishing regarding overfished stocks; and
- to fishing on the unregulated high seas.
- requiring Members to take special care and exercise due restraint when providing fisheries subsidies:
- to vessels not flying their flag; and
- to fishing regarding stocks of unknown status.
- requiring Members to provide information relevant to the implementation of the Agreement, including:
- the type or kind of fishing activity for which the subsidy is provided;
- a list of vessels and operators they have determined to have engaged in IUU fishing; and
- to the extent possible:
- the status of the fish stocks in question;
- fisheries management measures;
- subsidized fishing capacity;
- information on vessels benefitting from subsidies; and
- catch data.
- Special and differential treatments are provided to developing country Members and least developed country Members of the WTO in implementing the Agreement.
