Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing remains one of the greatest threats to fish stocks and marine ecosystems. It severely undermines national and regional efforts to manage fisheries sustainably, and jeopardizes endeavors to conserve marine biodiversity. 

IUU fishing can remove fishery resources available to small-scale fishers, leading to a collapse of local fisheries. This poses serious threat to fishery communities whose lives reliant on fishing. Moreover, it leads to a shortage of local food because products from IUU fishing will find its way into overseas trade markets.

The Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA) is a cost effective and a potent tool to combat IUU fishing. This first binding international agreement lays down a minimum set of standard measures for Parties to apply when foreign vessels seek entry into their ports, or while they are in their ports. In this way, the PSMA reduces the incentive of such vessels to continue to operate while it also blocks fishery products derived from IUU fishing to entering national and international markets.

The effective implementation of the PSMA ultimately contributes to the long-term conservation and sustainable use of living marine resources and marine ecosystems. 

The Kingdom of Cambodia officially becomes a Party to the FAO Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA) to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.  The Royal Government of Cambodia took necessary steps for an accession of the country to the PSMA. It was then accepted by the Depository on 06 November 2019. The PSMA entered into force on 5 June 2013, and as of 27 January 2020, it counts 64 “Parties”, or countries, including the European Union (EU) as one Party representing its 28 Member States.

In Partnership with the EU, FAO has supported the amendment of Cambodia’s Fishery Law, centered on IUU fishing, including the reassessment of the offenses and penalties schemes. It has also drafted the sub-degree on marine fisheries and distant water fishing, as well as other relevant legal instruments related to sustainable fisheries management and aquaculture development. FAO and the EU are also cooperating with the Government of Cambodia to provide further support to strengthen management, conservation and control systems in Cambodia inland and marine fisheries through the EU supported CapFish-Capture Fisheries programme, from 2019 to 2024. 

Actions under this programme are dedicated to improve capacities of the Fishery Administration of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery (MAFF) to strengthen fisheries management and conservation at the community, district/provincial, and national levels.