The World Trade Organization’s (WTO) 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) in Yaoundé, Cameroon, offered only limited time to discuss one of the most pressing issues for coastal communities: harmful fisheries subsidies. While the existing Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies entered into force on 15 September 2025, the negotiations on stronger disciplines to curb overcapacity and overfishing remain far from complete. For the millions of small-scale and artisanal fishers represented by the “World Forum of Fisher Peoples” (WFFP), the outcomes – or lack thereof – carry direct consequences for livelihoods, food security, and the health of marine ecosystems.
The Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies: Progress with Major Gaps
The Agreement, often called “Fish 1,” prohibits subsidies to Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing and to fishing on overfished stocks (with limited exceptions if rebuilding measures are in place). It includes a Special and Differential Treatment (SDT) provision with a two-year peace clause for developing countries and a “sunset clause” that requires the remaining issues to be concluded within four years (by September 2029), unless the General Council decides otherwise.
While this marks the first WTO agreement with environmental sustainability at its core, it falls short of fully addressing the root causes of overfishing. The bulk of harmful subsidies – those that build and maintain excessive fishing capacity – are left for the ongoing “Fish 2” negotiations. Pressure is mounting on countries to ratify and implement the current agreement, yet the real political appetite for confronting the big subsidising nations remains uncertain.
What Happened at MC14?
Discussions on fisheries subsidies at MC14 were brief. Ministers appear set to adopt a “Ministerial Decision” that:
– Reiterates support for implementing the existing Agreement, with emphasis on notifications and capacity building for developing countries.
– Calls for continued negotiations with the aim of concluding additional disciplines at MC15.
Some contention surrounded the text, though details on specific objections remain unclear. The limited time allocated and the absence of ambitious new commitments signal that real progress on curbing overcapacity subsidies has been deferred once again.
The Core Issue: Subsidies Driving Overcapacity and Overfishing
The draft disciplines target subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, including support for:
– Vessel construction, maintenance, and upgrading
– Purchasing fishing gear, processing machinery, and refrigerators
– Fuel, ice, and bait
– Personnel costs, social charges, and insurance
– Income support and price support for fish
These are the very subsidies that enable industrial fleets to expand far beyond sustainable levels, depleting fish stocks that small-scale fishers depend on for their survival.
Weak Safeguards Fail to Hold Major Subsidizers Accountable
A major concern is the so-called Sustainability Flexibility (proposed Article A.1.1). This would allow countries to continue subsidising if they can “demonstrate” that measures are in place to keep stocks at biologically sustainable levels within six months. In practice, this loophole is likely to be exploited by large subsidising nations with greater technical and administrative capacity.
Transparency requirements – including information on conservation and management measures (CMMs), stock status, reference points, catch data by species, and fleet capacity – are essential for other members to evaluate claims. Yet enforcement remains weak.
For distant water fishing (Article A.2), there are no outright prohibitions. Fleets must only meet the same sustainability test plus some additional notifications. This leaves small-scale fishers vulnerable to competition from heavily subsidised industrial operations in their own waters and beyond.
The text references the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF Guidelines), particularly Article 7.9 on addressing adverse impacts of trade on small-scale fisheries and the environment, but concrete protections are limited.
Special and Differential Treatment (SDT): Tiered and Uneven
– Least Developed Countries (LDCs) receive full exemption.
– Other developing countries get transition periods (with possible extensions based on “concrete progress”).
– A 0.8% threshold creates a tiered system: countries below it may subsidise within their Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ); those above face stricter rules unless they meet the sustainability flexibility.
Several developing countries with significant small-scale sectors, including India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Morocco, Philippines, Peru, and Bangladesh, fall above this threshold, while others like Brazil, Angola, South Africa, and Senegal are close. This differentiation risks pitting developing countries against one another and fails to provide meaningful policy space for genuine small-scale fishers.
Defining Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF): Opportunities and Risks
The text allows subsidies for “small scale and artisanal fishing or fishing related activities that are primarily low income, resource poor or livelihood in nature,” as defined operationally by each Member. It excludes “industrial” fishing and lists characteristics such as vessel size, motorisation, gear type, trip duration, catch disposal, and integration into local economies.
While this recognition of SSF is welcome, the broad definitional flexibility could allow some industrial operations to claim SSF status or, conversely, exclude legitimate small-scale fishers from support. Strong, community-driven definitions grounded in the SSF Guidelines are essential to prevent marginalisation and ensure small-scale fishers retain access to economic opportunities.
Where to Now? Elevating the Voices of Small-Scale Fishers
Negotiations will resume after MC14, influenced by broader outcomes on plurilateral initiatives and the overall WTO agenda. With the sunset clause ticking toward 2029, the window to secure meaningful disciplines is narrowing.
For WFFP and its members – small-scale fish harvesters and fish workers from across the globe – the priorities are clear:
– Strong prohibitions on subsidies to overcapacity and overfishing, with genuine accountability for the largest subsidising nations.
– Robust, transparent, and enforceable sustainability requirements that cannot be easily circumvented.
– Real policy space and transition support for developing countries that prioritises small-scale, artisanal, and livelihood-based fishing over industrial fleets.
– Full integration of the SSF Guidelines to protect the rights, livelihoods, and cultural practices of fisher peoples.
– Meaningful participation of small-scale fishing communities in shaping and monitoring the final agreement.
The sea is the source of all life. Trade rules must not undermine the communities that have sustainably harvested its resources for generations. WFFP calls on WTO members to move beyond weak compromises and deliver disciplines that truly curb harmful subsidies, safeguard fish stocks, and secure a just and sustainable future for small-scale fisher peoples worldwide.
The time to get it right is now – not later. The livelihoods of millions and the health of our oceans depend on it.