- India deposited its Instrument of Acceptance for Phase 1 on July 20, 2026.
- Phase 1 targets IUU fishing, overfished stocks and unregulated high seas fishing.
- Overcapacity and overfishing subsidies are left for Phase 2.
- Advanced fleets of EU, US and China get US$1000 to several thousands per fisher a year.
- Government support for Indian small-scale fishers is US$15 per fisher.
India has ratified Phase 1 of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies. It deposited its Instrument of Acceptance on July 20, 2026, joining the global push against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
What Phase 1 covers
Phase 1 deals with IUU fishing, overfished stocks and unregulated fishing on the high seas. It leaves out overcapacity and overfishing, including subsidies for fuel, gear, ice, and vessel construction and modernisation.
Those harder issues fall under Phase 2. India wants fair and differentiated treatment for developing countries in that phase.
India’s demands in Phase 2
According to an analysis of the decision, India’s ratification does not weaken its demand for a longer transition period. It seeks a 25-year transition for developing countries within their exclusive economic zones.
India also wants subsidy rules judged on a per-fisher benchmark. It argues that simple comparisons ignore large differences in scale, capacity and state support.
The subsidy gap
The analysis says subsidies in advanced fishing economies are large enough to shape capacity and global competition. The annual subsidy per fisher in advanced industrial fleets of the EU, US and China ranges from US$1000 to several thousands.
In contrast, government support for Indian small-scale and artisanal fishers is just US$15 per fisher. That support mainly goes to subsistence, safety and livelihood security, the analysis says.
Treating both situations as equal, it argues, would distort the debate. Bay of Bengal countries and members of BOBP-IGO, it adds, need rules that protect both marine ecosystems and fishing communities.
