PSMA: Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing

The Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (PSMA) was developed by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), building on the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The PSMA targets illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing through measures that prevent vessels engaged in IUU fishing from accessing ports where they can land their catches, in states others than their flag state. At the time of writing (2026), around three quarters of the world’s coastal states are Parties to the PSMA. Under the agreement, they must ensure that ports designated for use by foreign fishing vessels have the capacity for vessels to be inspected and require foreign vessels to formally request entry to such ports following an agreed standard. This allows port states to assess foreign vessels for risks and carry out targeted inspections. Port states are further required to sanction vessels found to have been engaged in IUU fishing through actions such as denial of port use, which prevents vessels from landing and selling their catch. Parties to the PSMA are also required to participate in a global information exchange mechanism, facilitated by the FAO, ensuring timely and systematic sharing of relevant data between port states, flag states, as well as international bodies with relevant mandates. This information exchange mechanism is an important inter-agency coordination mechanism that links state actors with the FAO as well as regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) that regulate fishing in areas beyond national jurisdiction. The implementation of the PSMA is coordinated by the FAO, who carries out the functions of the PSMA Secretariat. The mandate for actions to be implemented is provided through regular meetings of the Parties, which take place every two years. For up-to-date information, see this page of the FAO website. (https://www.fao.org/port-state-measures/en/).