FAO.org

The Republic of the Marshall Islands is the latest FAO Member to become a Party to the Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA).

The Agreement entered into force for the Marshall Islands on 26 June 2024, 30 days after the deposit of its instrument of accession with the Director-General of FAO as the Depositary for the PSMA.

The latest adhesion to the PSMA now takes the number of PSMA Parties to 79. This includes the European Union which acts as one Party on behalf of its Member States. Effectively, the number of States that are now covered by the Agreement has risen to 105, 8 of which are in the Pacific – Australia, Fiji, the Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, and Vanuatu. The Agreement now covers 65% of the world’s coastal States. The PSMA entered into force in 2016 with 25 Parties.  

The PSMA is the most cost-effective means for States to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. It sets minimum standards for Parties to follow to restrict fish caught through IUU fishing from entering the national or international markets.  

In the Fourth Meeting of the Parties, held in Bali, Indonesia, in May 2023, the Parties endorsed the Bali Strategy, to improve the effectiveness of the Agreement, and agreed to the launch of the PSMA Global Information Exchange System (GIES) by the end of 2023 as a means to fulfil information exchange obligations under PSMA. States are now able to exchange vital information among port, flag, and coastal States, as well as other relevant organizations, supporting Parties in being in a better position to take action against vessels involved in IUU fishing.

FAO encourages remaining States to become a Party to the PSMA by depositing their instrument of accession, adherence or acceptance with the FAO Director-General. More information on how a State can become a Party is available here. FAO stands ready to provide support as required through [email protected].