The Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA), 2009 is a binding treaty of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to prevent, deter and eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.
It is formally called the Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing. It was approved by the FAO Conference in November 2009 and entered into force on 5 June 2016.
Latest Status
The PSMA has expanded significantly since it entered into force. It now covers more than 100 countries, including the European Union’s 27 member states and China. China deposited its instrument of accession on 17 March 2025, and the agreement entered into force for China on 16 April 2025.
FAO’s official PSMA page continues to describe it as the first binding international agreement specifically targeting IUU fishing. Its objective is to stop vessels involved in illegal fishing from using ports and landing their catches.
Global Information Exchange System
A major recent development is the growing use of the Global Information Exchange System (GIES).
The GIES is the first global platform for exchanging compliance information under the PSMA. It helps countries share inspection reports, denial reports and information on vessels suspected of IUU fishing.
The system was released in December 2023. By July 2025, it had crossed a major milestone: over 3,000 inspection and denial reports had been exchanged on more than 1,000 foreign vessels from 57 flag States. Nearly 40% of the 84 PSMA Parties at that time were actively using the system.
Recent upgrades have added features such as:
- Advance Request for Port Entry
- transshipment and landing declarations
- direct secure communication between authorities
- automated transfer of information from regional e-port-state-measure systems
In April 2026, FAO reported that the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission’s e-PSM system had started transferring Advance Requests for Port Entry into the PSMA GIES. This helps port states decide whether to approve or deny port entry before a vessel arrives.
How the Agreement Works
The PSMA targets illegal fishing at the port stage. Instead of trying to catch every illegal vessel at sea, it blocks such vessels from landing, selling, transshipping, refuelling or servicing illegally caught fish.
A foreign fishing vessel has to provide advance information before entering a designated port. The port state can then inspect the vessel, check licences, verify catch documents and decide whether to allow port entry or port services.
Port State Measures include:
- requiring advance notice before port entry
- checking vessel identity and authorisation
- inspecting catch records and fishing gear
- verifying whether fish were caught legally
- denying port entry or port use to suspicious vessels
- sharing inspection reports with other countries and organisations
- blocking illegally caught fish from entering markets
This approach attacks the economic incentive behind IUU fishing. If illegally caught fish cannot be landed or sold, illegal fishing becomes less profitable.
India’s Status and Relevance
India is highly relevant to PSMA because of its long coastline, large fishing community, seafood exports and strategic location in the Indian Ocean.
However, India is not listed among current Parties on FAO’s official PSMA party list. India has conducted capacity-building and consultation activities related to PSMA implementation, including a national workshop on combating IUU fishing held in Kochi in February 2025, but formal party status must be checked against FAO’s official party list.
For India, PSMA-type measures matter because illegal fishing can affect:
- marine fish stocks
- coastal livelihoods
- seafood export credibility
- marine biodiversity
- maritime domain awareness
- security in the Indian Ocean
- compliance with global seafood traceability standards
India’s seafood exports increasingly depend on traceability, legality and sustainability. Stronger port inspections and catch documentation can help prevent illegally caught fish from entering Indian or international supply chains.
Why It Is Important
IUU fishing is a serious global problem because vessels can operate across jurisdictions, hide ownership, change flags, under-report catches or transfer fish at sea.
The PSMA is important because ports are easier to monitor than the open ocean. Once a vessel enters port, authorities can inspect documents, catch, gear and vessel identity.
Its significance lies in:
- reducing illegal fishing profits
- protecting marine biodiversity
- improving seafood traceability
- supporting sustainable fisheries
- protecting legitimate fishers
- strengthening ocean governance
- helping coastal and island states monitor foreign fishing vessels
The agreement is especially useful for developing coastal states that may not have enough resources to patrol huge ocean areas but can strengthen inspections at designated ports.
Recent Implementation Push
FAO has been supporting countries through a global capacity development programme for PSMA implementation. As of February 2025, this programme had funding of more than USD 37 million, with resource partners including the EU, Germany, Iceland, Norway, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, the UK and the US.
In 2026, FAO also reported regional coordination meetings for PSMA implementation in regions such as the Southwest Pacific and Africa, showing that the focus is now shifting from treaty adoption to operational enforcement.
Challenges
The PSMA is strong on paper, but implementation depends on national capacity.
Many countries still face difficulties in:
- training port inspectors
- verifying catch documentation
- tracking vessel ownership
- coordinating fisheries, customs, coast guard and port authorities
- sharing real-time information
- detecting transshipment at sea
- monitoring flag-of-convenience vessels
- financing port inspection infrastructure
Illegal fishing networks often exploit weak ports. So the PSMA works best when countries implement it together and share information quickly through systems like GIES.
