Fifteen governments signed the Mombasa Declaration at the Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa, Kenya, committing to implement measures that promote transparency in the sector and step up the fight against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
Government representatives from countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, and the Pacific attending the conference committed their countries to pursue transparency reforms such as modernizing vessel registries, publishing fishing authorizations, and enhancing information-sharing to support the enforcement and accountability across the seafood value chain, according to a joint statement. The declaration was created with support from the Coalition for Fisheries Transparency, a group of several environmental NGOs established in 2022 that created the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency framework in 2023.
"The Mombasa Declaration provides a platform for all of us, the different governments, to come together and declare on an international platform that we are working together [and] fighting together for transparency in the fisheries sector," Ghana Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Emelia Arthur said.
The 15 countries that endorsed the declaration include Belgium, Cameroon, Chile, the Dominican Republic, France (on behalf of its overseas territories), Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Republic of the Congo, Somalia, and South Korea.
The new declaration is intended to build support and momentum for the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency, the Coalition for Fisheries Transparency said in a press release following the endorsements. That momentum, in turn, will be used to drive progress in establishing greater transparency and sustainability in global fisheries.
“This initiative is based on a simple conviction: We will not be able to effectively combat IUU fishing without greater transparency and international cooperation,” France Minister Delegate for the Sea and Fishery Catherine Chabaud said. “The declaration provides an important opportunity for governments to demonstrate their political commitment to improving fisheries governance.”
The coalition said IUU fishing is a pervasive problem, costing the global economy USD 50 billion (EUR 43.1 billion) annually and causing worsening depletion of fish stocks, increasing threats to food security and livelihoods, and fueling serious human rights abuses such as unsafe working conditions and forced labor.
Increased transparency across the supply chain from vessel ownership to fishing activity can help combat those abuses by increasing accountability, it said.
"There is growing recognition that a productive and sustainable blue economy depends on strong ocean governance, effective monitoring, and accessible data,” Coalition for Fisheries Transparency Director Maisie Pigeon said. “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.
Oceana Vice President Beth Lowell also welcomed the new declaration as a signal that governments were willing to step up in the fight against IUU fishing.
“For too long, fisheries have operated far from shore, with inadequate oversight and opaque supply chains,” Lowell said. “These fishing practices have depleted fish stocks, undermined coastal communities, and enabled IUU fishing and human rights abuses. Transparency is essential to protecting our oceans and the livelihoods of those that depend on them."
Arthur said for Ghana, improving fisheries transparency and combating IUU is more than just an economic issue, it is essential to the health and well-being of people in the country.
“In my country, our very existence depends on fish. Sixty percent of our animal protein comes from fish, and 10 percent of our population depends on the fisheries value chain for livelihood,” Arthur said. “Fisheries are a matter of culture and national security for us.”
Environmental Justice Foundation CEO and Founder Steve Trent said transparency at sea and cooperations between governments are the best options to expose “abuses, support coastal communities, and rebuild trust that fisheries can be managed sustainably and fairly.”
The signatories are expected to adopt and put into action the declaration with a promise to commence a campaign to bring more nations on board ahead of next year's Our Ocean Conference to be held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
