Aquaculture and Inland Fisheries Remain Outside Scope of WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement

WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement Enhances India's Credibility as Responsible Seafood Exporter

India has deposited its Instrument of Acceptance of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies (AFS) on 20th July 2026, thereby becoming a Party to the Agreement. The Instrument of Acceptance was formally handed over by the Commerce Secretary, Government of India, Shri Rajesh Agrawal to the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO). India's decision reaffirms the country's commitment to sustainable fisheries management while preserving marine resources as a source of food security, livelihoods and employment for coastal communities.

The WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, adopted by consensus at the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference in Geneva in June 2022, is the first multilateral WTO agreement with an environmental sustainability objective. It prohibits government support to illegal fishing activities and overexploitation of stocks, contributing to the protection of marine life. The Agreement entered into force on 15 September 2025 after acceptance by two-thirds of WTO Members.

India is the 123rd Member of the WTO to deposit its Instrument of Acceptance. The Agreement focuses on subsidies related to marine wild capture fishing and fishing-related activities at sea. Importantly, aquaculture and inland fisheries remain outside the scope of this Agreement.

The Agreement protects the livelihoods of traditional and small-scale fishers by promoting sustainable fisheries. It prohibits subsidies linked to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and fishing of overfished stocks, thereby addressing unsustainable fishing practices that threaten marine resources and safeguarding the long-term interests of traditional and small-scale fishing communities. It also creates a more equitable global fisheries regime by disciplining harmful subsidies that support large, heavily subsidised industrial fishing fleets operated by distant water fishing nations. This benefits countries like India, where fisheries are predominantly small-scale and which are not major participants in industrial fishing.

The Agreement further enhances India's credibility as a responsible seafood exporter, thereby supporting improved access to premium markets that increasingly value sustainability and traceability. At the same time, the predominance of aquaculture-based shrimp in India's seafood exports, which falls outside the scope of the Agreement, ensures the continued resilience and competitiveness of the country's seafood export sector.

India has a robust fisheries management framework, strengthened through the Sustainable Harnessing of Fisheries in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Rules, 2025 and the Guidelines for Sustainable Harnessing of Fisheries in the High Seas by Indian-Flagged Fishing Vessels, 2025. These measures, together with the ongoing capacity-building initiatives under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) and other fisheries management, monitoring and conservation programmes, provide a strong foundation for the effective implementation of the Agreement. These regulatory, institutional and developmental ecosystem positions India to implement the Agreement effectively while preserving policy space for traditional and small-scale fishers.

The WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies seeks to promote the conservation and sustainable use of marine fisheries resources while providing appropriate flexibilities for developing and least-developed country Members.

India's acceptance of the Agreement reflects its commitment to sustainable fisheries management and responsible marine resource governance. India's domestic fisheries management framework is in alignment with the Agreement and safeguards the interests of traditional and small-scale fishers while contributing to global efforts to promote sustainable fisheries. Above all, by becoming a party to this Agreement, India reinforces its unwavering commitment to the rules-based trading system with the WTO at its core.