Ground-breaking fishing subsidy treaty undercut by holdouts

The World Trade Organization’s new Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies (AFS) officially entered into force in September 2025. As the first global treaty to restrict the use of harmful fishing subsidies, this is a landmark agreement for trade, development and the environment. It is a critical step towards reigning in the destructive subsidies that have fueled a global fisheries crisis and ensuring the sustainability of the world’s oceans. Yet these important new rules are being undermined by the significant number of countries—including many large fishing nations—that have refused to ratify the treaty.