"MOMBASA, Kenya — Fifteen countries from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, and the Pacific adopted a declaration on Wednesday to step up efforts to combat illegal fishing, a practice that experts say costs the world economy up to $50 billion annually.
The Mombasa Declaration, named after the Kenyan city hosting the 11th Our Ocean Conference, calls on governments to improve access to information on fishing vessels, ownership and licensing, and to strengthen data sharing to better track fishing activities and enforce regulations.
Out of the more than 30 countries represented in the summit, Belgium, Cameroon, Chile, the Dominican Republic, France, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Republic of the Congo, Somalia and South Korea signed the agreement.
The signatories said in a statement the measures are intended to curb illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, also known as IUU fishing, which threatens marine ecosystems and the livelihoods of millions of people who depend on fisheries."
Allan Olingo reports for the Associated Press June 17, 2026.
