Fish Fund launches second Call for Proposals

Eligible WTO members can submit proposals by 24 April via the application portal, which can be found here. 

Two types of grants are available: project preparation grants of up to USD 50,000 to conduct needs assessments to prepare for implementation of the Agreement, and project grants of up to USD 300,000 for projects to implement specific provisions of the Agreement.

At its November 2025 meeting following the first Call for Proposals, the Fish Fund Steering Committee approved 26 requests for project grants - totalling USD 2.9 million.

The WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies was adopted at the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) in 2022 and entered into force on 15 September 2025, bringing the Fish Fund's grant and disbursement mandate into full effect. A brochure explaining the objectives and benefits of the Agreement can be accessed here.

So far, 116 WTO members have formally accepted the Agreement. The full list can be found here.

The Fish Fund was established under Article 7 of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, which ministers also adopted at MC12 in 2022. Housed at the WTO, the Fund operates in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Bank.

To date, the Fish Fund has deposits, commitments and pledges totalling over USD 18 million. 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.

The fact sheet titled "How to Access Funding - Opening the Call for Proposals" is available here.

More information on the WTO Fisheries Funding Mechanism is available here.