New Delhi [India], September 23 (ANI): Effective implementation of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies (AFS) will require reliable fisheries data, stronger monitoring and reporting systems, institutional coordination and adequate technical capacity, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said in a release on Wednesday.

The ministry said these issues were highlighted at a webinar on "WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies: Legal Framework and Policy Prospects" organised by the Centre for Trade and Investment Law (CTIL), Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, on September 21.

The webinar coincided with the commencement of WTO Fish Week and followed India's ratification of the AFS on July 20, 2026. Experts, fisheries specialists and policymakers discussed implementation of the Agreement, a year after its entry into force, as well as ongoing negotiations on additional disciplines on overcapacity and overfishing.

The discussions also highlighted the need for continued capacity building and technical assistance for developing and least-developed WTO members through available WTO mechanisms, the ministry said.

The AFS, adopted at the WTO's 12th Ministerial Conference in 2022, establishes disciplines on certain harmful fisheries subsidies, including subsidies linked to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, fishing of overfished stocks subject to specified rebuilding conditions, and fishing on the unregulated high seas.

The Agreement also provides for notification and transparency obligations and requires members that have accepted it to put in place measures for its implementation and administration.

The webinar covered implementation challenges, notification and transparency, special and differential treatment (S&DT), domestic institutional preparedness, small-scale fisheries and ongoing negotiations on overcapacity and overfishing.

Panellists also discussed domestic data systems, inter-agency coordination, India's legal and policy framework, vessel registration, monitoring and IUU-related determinations. Livelihood, food security and development concerns of small-scale and artisanal fisheries were also discussed.

The programme concluded with a question-and-answer session on practical and legal aspects of implementing the AFS, including notification and transparency, IUU fishing, rebuilding of overfished stocks, S&DT and small-scale fisheries.

The ministry said continued dialogue and coordination among international organisations and fisheries stakeholders would be important to strengthen domestic preparedness and support effective implementation of the Agreement. (ANI)