The 2009 FAO Agreement on Port State Measures to prevent, deter, and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (PSMA) has reached 100 States that are now officially Party to it.

With the deposit of the instrument of accession by Eritrea, following Nigeria, Angola, and Morocco earlier this year, the number of Parties to the PSMA has reached 74[1], including the European Union which counts as one Party on behalf of its 27 Member States.

The PSMA is the first binding international agreement to target illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and has so far displayed the highest rate of adherence of all international fisheries instruments, with 74 Parties in 6 years since its entering into force  in 2016.

It is the most cost-effective international instrument to combat IUU fishing, to ensure compliance with national law and regional conservation and management measures adopted by regional fisheries management organizations and arrangements (RFMO/As).

It lays minimum requirements for Parties to follow and complements the efforts of flag, coastal and market States in fulfilling their responsibilities under international law. It also requests port States to deny entry into port or use of port for vessels engaged in IUU fishing, effectively acting as a means to prevent fish caught through IUU fishing from entering the supply chain and reaching national and international markets.

Implementing the agreement requires effective cooperation and information exchange amongst coastal States, flag States, and RFMOs; while at national level, the PSMA also provides an incentive for States to establish coordination and inter-agency cooperation.

Countries wanting to become Party to the PSMA should deposit an original instrument of adherence with the FAO Director-General. For PSMA signatories, this instrument could be one of acceptance, ratification or approval, while for non-signatories, this is an instrument of accession.

The PSMA was approved by the FAO Conference in November 2009. It entered into force on 5 June 2016, thirty days after the deposit of the twenty-fifth instrument of adherence. To date, 5 June is known as the International Day for the Fight against IUU fishing.

For further information or support, the PSMA Secretariat can be contacted at: [email protected].