WTO Fish Fund approves USD 2.9m in first grants, gears up for next Call for Proposals

The WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies was adopted at the 12th Ministerial Conference in 2022 and entered into force on 15 September 2025, bringing the Fish Fund's grant and disbursement mandate into full effect.

 Opening the meeting, Deputy Director-General Jennifer DJ Nordquist underlined how the Fish Fund fulfils the pledge made to WTO members of having a fully operational financing mechanism in place by the time the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies entered into force.

DDG Nordquist also highlighted the fragility of the world's marine resources, noting that: 

"The Steering Committee's deliberations and decisions on projects that will have a direct and positive impact on the sustainable management of fish stocks could not be more important." 

She thanked donors for their contributions and praised developing and LDC members for making use of the Fund to support their implementation of the Agreement.

Known as the Fish Fund, the WTO Fisheries Subsidies Funding Mechanism was established under Article 7 of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies. Developing and LDC members that have ratified the Agreement are eligible to submit funding requests to support their implementation of the Agreement.

The Fish Fund operates in cooperation with relevant international organizations, including the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Bank.

The Fish Fund has received voluntary contributions from WTO members for the last three years. The contributing members thus far are Australia, Canada, the European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. To date, the Fund has deposits, commitments and pledges that amount to over USD 18 million. 

The Steering Committee of the Fish Fund is made up of 16 WTO members representing contributors to, and beneficiaries of, the Fund. These are Australia, Barbados, Canada, France, The Gambia, Germany, Haiti, Iceland, Japan, Mauritius, the Netherlands, Peru, the Philippines, Seychelles, Sierra Leone and Spain.

More information on the WTO Fish Fund is available here.

A total of 116 members have currently submitted their instruments of acceptance of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies. The full list can be found here.