A fisheries subsidy is a government action that confers an advantage on consumers or extractors of fish in order to supplement their income or lower their cost.
[2] The range of estimates is partially due to fact that fisheries subsidies come in many shapes and forms.
Not all estimates include government funding for fisheries management, such data collection and control and enforcement, or the possible absence of access fees.
Therefore, reducing the long-term viability of the fishing industries which are estimated to generate US$ 50 billion less per year than they could as a result of subsidies,[6] while others are considered beneficial, promoting conservations and sustainable fisheries management.
[7] States committed at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) to eliminate subsidies that contribute to illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing and overcapacity.