The Barbados Fisheries Division joins with WTO Members around the world in celebrating the entry into force of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, which commits members to curbing billions of dollars in annual spending on the most harmful subsidies that contribute to the depletion of marine fish stocks. The agreement which entered into force on 15 September 2025 has been heralded by the Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of the WTO as the “landmark for global trade governance”. It marks a major step forward for ocean sustainability by prohibiting harmful fisheries subsidies, a key factor in the widespread depletion of the world’s fish stocks.
The WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement includes allowances for small island developing states (SIDS) and other developing countries by recognizing their specific needs, providing a fund for technical assistance and capacity-building, and explicitly including language on special and differential treatment in the mandate to address livelihoods, poverty alleviation, and food security. Small island nations including Barbados, which rely heavily on fisheries for their economies and communities, were instrumental in ensuring the agreement addressed these broader social and developmental aspects, not just trade rules.
Key Allowances and Focuses for Small Islands:
- Focus on Livelihoods, Poverty Alleviation, and Food Security: SIDS, like Barbados, highlighted that the agreement needed to go beyond trade rules and protect communities dependent on fisheries for food, jobs, and overall well-being.
- Special and Differential Treatment (SDT): SIDS and other vulnerable economies were key in advocating for and embedding SDT provisions within the agreement's mandate, recognizing their unique vulnerabilities and different development needs.
- Capacity-Building and Technical Assistance: The agreement established a dedicated fund to provide technical assistance and capacity-building to help developing and least-developed countries implement the new rules and obligations.
- Protection of Small-Scale Fishing: The agreement allows developing country members to grant or maintain subsidies for low-income, resource-poor fishing activities within their Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs), particularly within the 12 nautical mile zone from baselines, including archipelagic baselines.
- Involvement in Negotiations: Small island nations actively participated in the fisheries subsidies negotiations, ensuring their perspectives and national interests were considered in shaping the agreement's rules and provisions.
Negotiations will continue in the near future on additional provisions that would further enhance the disciplines of the Agreement.