The Mombasa Declaration is an international declaration adopted by 15 countries to strengthen action against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.
It is named after Mombasa, Kenya, the host city of the 11th Our Ocean Conference 2026. The declaration focuses on improving fisheries transparency, vessel tracking, data sharing and international cooperation to protect marine ecosystems and fishing-dependent communities.
Background
IUU fishing is one of the biggest threats to ocean governance. It weakens marine conservation, damages fish stocks, hurts coastal livelihoods and allows illegal operators to avoid regulation.
The problem is difficult to control because fishing vessels can move across jurisdictions, hide ownership details, switch flags, under-report catches or operate in remote waters where enforcement is weak.
The Mombasa Declaration tries to close these gaps by making fishing activities more traceable and transparent.
Core Focus
The declaration asks governments to strengthen transparency across the fisheries sector.
Its major focus areas include:
- vessel transparency: better information on fishing vessels, ownership and licensing
- data sharing: stronger exchange of information between countries
- tracking of fishing activity: improved monitoring of where vessels operate
- law enforcement: better tools to detect and punish illegal fishing
- marine conservation: protection of fish stocks and ocean ecosystems
- livelihood protection: safeguarding communities dependent on fisheries
The declaration is important because illegal fishing is not only an environmental issue. It is also linked with food security, coastal economies, labour exploitation and maritime security.
Signatories
The declaration was adopted by 15 countries from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Caribbean and the Pacific. Reported signatories include:
- Belgium
- Cameroon
- Chile
- Dominican Republic
- France
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Liberia
- Panama
- Papua New Guinea
- Peru
- Republic of Congo
- Somalia
- South Korea
These countries represent different ocean regions, which gives the declaration a wider global character.
Link with Our Ocean Conference
The declaration was adopted at the Our Ocean Conference, a global platform where governments, civil society, businesses and international organisations announce commitments for ocean protection.
The 2026 conference in Mombasa focused on themes such as the sustainable blue economy, marine conservation, ocean finance, youth leadership and action against IUU fishing.
Significance
The Mombasa Declaration matters because fisheries governance often suffers from weak transparency. If vessel ownership, licences and movement records are unclear, illegal fishing becomes easier.
Its significance lies in:
- improving accountability in fishing operations
- protecting marine biodiversity
- supporting sustainable fisheries
- reducing illegal exploitation of ocean resources
- helping small island and coastal states monitor fishing activity
- strengthening global cooperation against IUU fishing
It also supports the broader idea of a sustainable blue economy, where oceans are used for economic development without destroying marine ecosystems.
Challenges
The declaration is a political commitment, so its success depends on implementation.
Major challenges include:
- weak enforcement capacity in developing coastal states
- limited maritime surveillance infrastructure
- lack of real-time vessel tracking
- complex ownership structures of fishing fleets
- flag-of-convenience practices
- corruption in licensing systems
- poor coordination between countries
- high cost of monitoring distant waters
IUU fishing is profitable because the risk of detection is often low. The declaration can work only if countries convert transparency commitments into actual monitoring systems, port inspections, penalties and data-sharing arrangements.
