The Mombasa Declaration: A Collective Commitment to More Transparent and Sustainable Fisheries
The Mombasa Declaration is a collective commitment aimed at strengthening transparency in the fisheries sector and intensifying collective efforts to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, which accounts for approximately 20% of global catches.
It is based on the principles of the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency, recognizing transparency as the foundation for legal, sustainable and ethical fisheries management worldwide.
The Mombasa Declaration was launched at the 2026 Our Ocean Conference, held in Kenya, marking the beginning of a new era for fisheries management: more transparent, more accountable and more equitable. Adopted by countries from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe and the Pacific, the declaration represents a decisive break from a model that has operated in the shadows for far too long: concealed vessel ownership, uncontrolled fleets, unreported catches, worker abuses and untraceable supply chains — practices that fuel illegal fishing and deplete the resources on which coastal communities depend.
It provides governments with a major opportunity to demonstrate their political commitment to better fisheries governance.
