The WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies: An Impactful Breakthrough or a Bottle Lost at Sea ?

The WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies (AFS), adopted at the 12th Ministerial Conference in 2022, marks a significant step toward ocean protection by aiming to regulate harmful subsidies that deplete fish stocks. While it represents progress in using trade law for environmental goals, it falls short of ensuring sustainable marine resource management. This essay first compares the AFS with UNCLOS and the UNFSA to assess legal alignment and shared principles, then evaluates the AFS through the lens of the Third World Approaches to International Law (TWAIL), concluding with recent developments from the 13th Ministerial Conference. WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies (AFS) – United Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) – United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement (UNFSA) – Third World Approaches to International Law (TWAIL) – Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – Fisheries Subsidies