The Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (PSMA) is the first binding international treaty focused specifically on combating IUU fishing. It was adopted by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Conference in 2009 and entered into force on 5 June 2016, after reaching the 25-party threshold required by Article 29.
The treaty's core logic is to shift enforcement away from the high seas — where monitoring is costly and jurisdiction contested — toward ports, where states already exercise sovereign control. Under the PSMA, a foreign-flagged fishing vessel seeking to enter a port must request entry in advance, provide information on its identity, catch, and authorizations, and submit to inspection. If the port state has reasonable grounds to believe the vessel engaged in IUU fishing or supported such activity, it must deny entry or, once docked, deny use of the port for landing, transshipment, packaging, refueling, or resupply.
Key operational provisions include:
- Article 9: grounds for denial of port entry.
- Article 11: denial of use of port services.
- Article 12: minimum standards for inspections.
- Articles 16–18: information exchange, including with flag states and regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs).
- Part 6: special requirements for developing-state parties, including capacity-building support.
The PSMA is administered through periodic Meetings of the Parties convened by the FAO. It complements the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the 1995 UN Fish Stocks Agreement, and the FAO's 2001 voluntary International Plan of Action on IUU Fishing.
The agreement is open to regional economic integration organizations, and the European Union is a party in its own right alongside its member states. Major fishing nations including the United States, Indonesia, Russia, South Korea, Japan, Chile, and South Africa have ratified, though several large flag states remain outside the regime.
Example
In 2016, shortly after the PSMA entered into force, South Africa denied port services to vessels in the so-called "tuna longliner" cases that authorities suspected of IUU activity in the Indian Ocean.
Frequently asked questions
On 5 June 2016, thirty days after the 25th instrument of ratification was deposited with the FAO Director-General, as required by Article 29.
Keep learning