India has formally become a party to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies after depositing its Instrument of Acceptance with the global trade body, reaffirming its commitment to sustainable fisheries management while safeguarding the interests of traditional and small-scale fishing communities.
The Instrument of Acceptance was handed over by the Commerce Secretary to the WTO Director-General on Monday, making India the 123rd WTO member to join the Agreement.
Adopted by consensus during the WTO’s 12th Ministerial Conference in Geneva in June 2022, the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies is the first multilateral WTO agreement with an environmental sustainability objective. It entered into force on September 15, 2025, after securing acceptance from two-thirds of WTO members.
The Agreement targets subsidies related to marine wild capture fishing and fishing-related activities at sea, while explicitly excluding aquaculture and inland fisheries from its scope. This means India’s aquaculture sector, including its shrimp exports, remains unaffected by the new rules.
According to the Commerce & Industry Ministry, the Agreement aims to curb subsidies that contribute to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, as well as fishing of overexploited stocks, thereby promoting the conservation and sustainable use of marine resources.
The Ministry said the Agreement would help protect the livelihoods of traditional and small-scale fishers by discouraging unsustainable fishing practices while creating a more balanced global fisheries regime. It also disciplines harmful subsidies that support large industrial fishing fleets operated by distant-water fishing nations, a move expected to benefit countries such as India, where the fisheries sector is dominated by small-scale operators.
The Ministry said India’s accession to the Agreement would further strengthen its reputation as a responsible seafood exporter, improving access to premium international markets that increasingly prioritise sustainability and traceability. Since India’s seafood exports are largely driven by aquaculture-based shrimp production, which remains outside the Agreement’s ambit, the country’s export competitiveness is expected to remain unaffected.
The Ministry also highlighted that India’s existing fisheries management framework is already aligned with the objectives of the Agreement. Measures such as the Sustainable Harnessing of Fisheries in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Rules, 2025, the Guidelines for Sustainable Harnessing of Fisheries in the High Seas by Indian-Flagged Fishing Vessels, 2025, and capacity-building initiatives under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) provide a strong regulatory and institutional foundation for implementing the Agreement.
The Ministry said these measures preserve adequate policy space for traditional and small-scale fishers while supporting marine conservation and sustainable resource management.
With its formal acceptance of the Agreement, India has reaffirmed its commitment to sustainable fisheries, responsible marine governance and a rules-based multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core.
