15 Nations Back Transparency Pact to Curb Illegal Fishing

Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing is estimated to drain up to $50 billion from the global economy each year, according to a joint World Bank, FAO and International Labour Organization study, even as the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization reports that about 35 percent of global fish stocks are now overfished and under growing pressure from industrial fleets operating across poorly monitored waters. Today, fifteen countries meeting in Mombasa, Kenya, endorsed a new transparency pledge aimed at forcing greater disclosure of vessel ownership, fishing authorizations and catch activity, in an effort to close enforcement gaps that advocates say have allowed distant-water fleets to obscure operations, deplete fish populations and, in some cases, contribute to labor abuses in supply chains that support hundreds of millions of people dependent on fish for protein and livelihoods across Africa, Asia and small island developing states.

In a conference hall overlooking the Indian Ocean, where fishing boats move daily through one of the world’s busiest maritime corridors, governments gathered this week to confront a problem that rarely appears on shore but shapes livelihoods across continents: the vast, largely invisible system of illegal fishing that regulators say is stripping oceans of life and costing billions of dollars each year.

Against that backdrop, fifteen countries from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe and the Pacific endorsed a new political declaration on Tuesday aimed at tightening oversight of global fisheries by forcing greater transparency on who is fishing, where they are operating and under what authority.

The agreement, known as the Mombasa Declaration, was unveiled at the 11th Our Ocean Conference in the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa and reflects a growing push among governments and conservation groups to treat fisheries transparency as a baseline requirement for ocean governance rather than a voluntary reform.

At its core, the declaration calls on coastal and flag states to improve the collection and sharing of vessel identity and activity data, expand public access to fisheries information and strengthen cooperation between enforcement agencies. It also aligns with the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency, a policy framework that proposes 10 low-cost governance measures designed to improve accountability in fisheries management systems that are often fragmented across jurisdictions.

The countries endorsing the declaration are Belgium, Cameroon, Chile, the Dominican Republic, France on behalf of its overseas territories, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Republic of Congo, Somalia and South Korea.

The commitments come as scientific and economic assessments continue to warn that the world’s fisheries are under mounting pressure. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations said in its State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2024 report that about 35 percent of global fish stocks are now overfished, a share that has risen steadily over decades as industrial fishing capacity expanded faster than enforcement systems.

The same report identifies illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing as one of the key factors undermining stock recovery, particularly in regions where monitoring capacity is weak or vessel ownership structures are opaque.

A 2016 study led by the World Bank, the FAO and the International Labour Organization estimated that illegal fishing costs the global economy up to $50 billion annually, while also contributing to environmental degradation, reduced food security and the erosion of tax revenues in coastal states.

The problem is not only ecological but also social. In many developing coastal economies, fish remains a primary source of protein and employment. The World Bank has estimated that more than 3 billion people rely on fish as a significant source of animal protein, with dependence especially high in parts of West Africa, Southeast Asia and small island states.

In that context, the political weight of the Mombasa Declaration lies less in its legal force, which is nonbinding, and more in its attempt to normalize transparency as the default condition for participation in global fisheries governance.

For Ghana, one of the signatories, fisheries are central to both nutrition and employment, a point emphasized by the country’s fisheries and aquaculture minister.

“In my country, our very existence depends on fish. Sixty percent of our animal protein comes from fish, and ten percent of our population depends on the fisheries value chain for livelihood. Fisheries are a matter of culture and national security for us. I’m happy that Ghana is among the first countries to sign the Mombasa Declaration, because it provides a platform for all of us, the different governments, to come together and declare on an international platform that we are working together, fighting together for transparency in the fisheries sector,” Arthur said.

Under the declaration, governments have pledged to begin implementing a set of transparency reforms that include modernizing vessel registries, publishing fishing authorizations and strengthening information-sharing systems intended to improve monitoring, control and surveillance of fishing activity across territorial waters and high seas.

Maritime enforcement experts have long argued that weak registries and fragmented data systems allow vessels to obscure ownership, change flags and operate across multiple jurisdictions with limited accountability. In some cases, ships suspected of illegal fishing have been able to continue operating for years by exploiting gaps between national databases.

A 2023 analysis by Global Fishing Watch, which uses satellite data and machine learning to track industrial fishing activity, found that a large share of industrial fishing vessels are not publicly trackable in real time, limiting regulators’ ability to detect suspicious behavior or coordinate enforcement across borders.

That opacity, advocates say, is what the Mombasa Declaration is designed to address.

For France, which endorsed the declaration on behalf of its overseas territories, transparency is framed as a necessary precondition for enforcement rather than a supplementary tool.

“France is proud to be among the first supporters of the Mombasa Declaration on Fisheries Transparency, through its Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs). This initiative is based on a simple conviction: we will not be able to effectively combat IUU fishing without greater transparency and international cooperation. The Declaration provides an important opportunity for governments to demonstrate their political commitment to improving fisheries governance. We hope that many more countries will join this initiative and implement the commitments it promotes, making transparency the norm in the fisheries sector,” Chabaud said.

The declaration was developed with support from the Coalition for Fisheries Transparency, a network of researchers, policy specialists and advocacy organizations that argue that weak governance structures remain one of the main barriers to sustainable ocean management.

“There is growing recognition that a productive and sustainable blue economy depends on strong ocean governance, effective monitoring, and accessible data. The countries signing the Mombasa Declaration today represent a diverse range of economies and geographies, demonstrating that momentum for transparency at sea is truly global. We look forward to working with these countries and others to advance meaningful fisheries reforms,” said Maisie Pigeon, director of the Coalition for Fisheries Transparency.

Environmental organizations say the urgency of such reforms is underscored by both ecological decline and documented abuses in parts of the global fishing industry.

A 2022 report by Oceana, for example, highlighted how weak monitoring systems and opaque supply chains can enable illegal fishing in protected waters and contribute to the depletion of commercially important species. The group has argued that traceability from catch to consumer remains one of the weakest points in global seafood markets.

Beth Lowell, vice president at Oceana, said the structural lack of oversight has allowed harmful practices to persist.

“For too long, fisheries have operated far from shore, with inadequate oversight and opaque supply chains. These fishing practices have depleted fish stocks, undermined coastal communities, and enabled illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and human rights abuses. Transparency is essential to protecting our oceans and the livelihoods of those that depend on them. The Mombasa Declaration signals that governments around the world are ready to act against illegal fishing, and to work together for a more transparent, equitable, and sustainable ocean for all,” Lowell said.

At the center of many reform efforts is the argument that better data, not just stricter rules, is the most effective enforcement tool. Vessel tracking systems using automatic identification signals, electronic monitoring on board ships and centralized registries are increasingly being promoted as cost-effective ways to close enforcement gaps.

Tony Long, chief executive officer of Global Fishing Watch, said the declaration marks a shift toward that data-first approach.

“For too long, illegal fishing has thrived in the dark. Today’s Mombasa Declaration is a turning point in changing that reality. When governments commit to transparency — sharing vessel identities, ownership or tracking data — they create an interconnected network where bad actors have nowhere left to hide. Global Fishing Watch stands ready to equip these nations with the open data and analytical power to drive these transparency measures forward,” Long said.

Development financiers and environmental philanthropies have also begun framing fisheries governance as part of broader climate and food security strategies. Bloomberg Philanthropies, which funds ocean conservation initiatives globally, said transparency in fisheries data is essential to improving resource management decisions at a time of growing climate stress on marine ecosystems.

“The countries that have endorsed the Mombasa Declaration are sending a clear signal that transparency is essential to a healthy ocean and sustainable fisheries. By improving access to reliable data, governments can make better decisions to manage marine resources. This declaration reflects a shared commitment to greater transparency in global fisheries, and we look forward to supporting efforts to turn this vision into meaningful action for coastal communities and marine ecosystems,” said Antha Williams, who leads the Environment Program at Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Still, analysts caution that implementation will be the decisive test. Similar commitments in the past have struggled to translate into consistent enforcement, particularly in regions where maritime surveillance capacity is limited and where political or commercial interests intersect with fishing rights.

Even so, proponents of the Mombasa Declaration argue that the political alignment of countries across multiple regions signals a widening consensus that fisheries cannot be effectively governed without greater transparency.

Stay ahead of the stories shaping our world. Subscribe to Impact Newswire for timely, curated insights on global tech, business, and innovation all in one place.

Dive deeper into the future with the Cause Effect 4.0 Podcast, where we explore the ideas, trends, and technologies driving the global AI conversation.

Got a story to share? Pitch it to us at info@impactnews-wire.com and reach the right audience worldwide