Observer paper submitted by The Pew Charitable Trusts

In 2022, the World Trade Organization (WTO) adopted a long-awaited Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies aimed at tackling one of the key drivers of overfishing. The Agreement establishes a careful link with regional fishery management organizations (RFMOs), which will have a role in the implementation of the prohibitions and transparency mechanisms. NPFC should highlight relevant provisions of the Agreement to Members, and Members should begin to avoid providing subsidies when doing so would fail to meet the Agreement’s requirements for unassessed or unmanaged stocks.