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Eritrea has become the 74th Party to the 2009 FAO Agreement on Port State Measures to prevent, deter, and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (PSMA), effectively becoming the 100th State to accede to the Agreement.

Since entering into force in 2016, thirty days after the deposit of the instrument of accession by the twenty-fifth Party, the Agreement has now been embraced by almost three times as many Parties, covering the majority of port States around the world. More than one fourth of the actual States that are Party to the Agreement, are in Africa.

The PSMA is the most cost-effective means for States to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The Agreement sets minimum standards for Parties to follow to restrict fish caught through IUU fishing from entering the national or international markets.

FAO encourages remaining States to become a Party to the PSMA by depositing their instrument of accession with the FAO Director-General. For States or regional economic integration organizations that are already signatory to the PSMA, the instrument to be deposited could be that of ratification, acceptance, or approval.

FAO stands ready to provide support as required through [email protected].