MOMBASA, Kenya — Representatives from fifteen nations spanning Africa, Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, and the Pacific came together Wednesday to sign a landmark agreement aimed at cracking down on illegal fishing, a global problem that experts estimate drains up to $50 billion from the world economy every year.
The agreement, known as the Mombasa Declaration, takes its name from the Kenyan city where the 11th Our Ocean Conference is being held. The declaration calls on participating governments to open up access to information about fishing vessels, their ownership, and their licensing, while also strengthening the sharing of data to better monitor fishing activity and enforce the rules.
Of the more than 30 countries represented at the summit, 15 ultimately signed onto the agreement: Belgium, Cameroon, Chile, the Dominican Republic, France, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Republic of the Congo, Somalia, and South Korea.
In a joint statement, the signing nations said the measures are designed to address illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing — commonly referred to as IUU fishing — which poses a serious threat to ocean ecosystems and the millions of people worldwide whose livelihoods depend on fisheries.
Ghana’s fisheries minister, Emelia Arthur, spoke to the deep importance of the issue for her country. “In my country, our very existence depends on fish,” she said. “Over 60% of our animal protein comes from fish, and 10% of our population depends on the fisheries value chain for livelihood.”
Arthur went on to describe fisheries as both a cultural issue and a matter of national security for Ghana, saying the declaration gives countries a platform to “fight together for transparency in the fisheries sector.”
Illegal fishing hits coastal communities and small-scale fishers especially hard, particularly in developing nations, by wiping out fish populations, threatening food supplies, and distorting markets. Experts have also connected illegal fishing operations to serious human rights violations, including forced labor and dangerous conditions for workers aboard fishing vessels.
The Mombasa Declaration is designed to advance support for the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency, which outlines ten policy principles focused on improving ocean governance through practical, low-cost reforms — such as updating vessel registries and making fishing authorizations publicly available.
French Minister Delegate for the Sea and Fisheries Catherine Chabaud emphasized that no single country can tackle the problem alone, with France taking a leading role among European nations in backing the agreement. “We will not be able to effectively combat illegal fishing without greater transparency and international cooperation,” she said. “Limited transparency in vessel ownership, tracking, and fishing activity and supply chains allow these illegal practices to thrive, making stronger access to reliable fisheries data and accountability mechanisms essential to protecting marine ecosystems and the communities that depend on them.”
Environmental and conservation organizations praised the declaration as a sign of growing international commitment to holding bad actors accountable on the water. “For too long, illegal fishing has thrived in the dark,” said Tony Long, CEO of the nonprofit Global Fishing Watch. “When governments commit to transparency, they create an interconnected network where bad actors have nowhere left to hide.”
Beth Lowell, vice president of the environmental advocacy group Oceana, said the agreement shows that governments are “ready to act against illegal fishing and work together for a more transparent, equitable and sustainable ocean.”
Countries that have signed the declaration are expected to begin acting on their commitments right away. Additional nations are anticipated to join the initiative ahead of the next Our Ocean Conference, scheduled for 2027, which serves as a major annual gathering focused on pressing ocean-related challenges.
