Sustainable Seas? Assessing Commitments and Implications of the WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement

This article provides an interdisciplinary analysis of the World Trade Organization (hereinafter “WTO”) Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies (hereinafter “AFS”), framing it as a pivotal yet complex advance in global efforts to address overfishing. It integrates insights from international economics and international trade law to examine the agreement’s key provisions. These include the prohibition of subsidies that promote Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated fishing, the targeting of overfished stocks, and the regulation of high seas fishing activities. The analysis further explores AFS’s commitment to transparency and accountability, underscored by the implementation of the WTO dispute settlement mechanism and the inclusion of specific provisions for developing countries. Moreover, the article assesses the agreement’s potential to catalyze fisheries reform, its congruence with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and the essential role of continued cross-sector collaboration in safeguarding marine ecosystems and curtailing overfishing.