G7 Environment Meetings
Road to the 2026 Evian Summit

Mobilizing Against IUU Fishing

April 24, 2026
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Implementing the fight against IUU fishing to protect the Ocean, promote economic prosperity and benefit coastal communities

Considering that we are all affected by the severe consequences of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, we stress that these practices undermine the sustainability of fish stocks, damage marine ecosystems, threaten food security and nutrition, distort markets and maritime economy, negatively affect communities and weaken the rule of law at sea.

In this context, we are convinced that an effective and coordinated collective action and implementation of measures against IUU fishing delivers concrete environmental, economic and social benefits.

Thus, continuing and building on the works carried at the international level on the Ocean, including those undertaken under G7 such as the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Declaration on Maritime Security and Prosperity, as well as on our experience, technical capabilities and capacity-building resources, we will focus our joint action on four main priorities: the implementation of relevant international frameworks, greater transparency, strengthened coordination among all institutional actors, and local capacity-building. These priorities will be addressed in a spirit of cooperation, while recognizing national specificities as an asset for implementation and our collective action

Our approach to achieving our goals

Reiterating that existing international agreements and instruments together provide a robust legal foundation for action, our efforts to combat IUU fishing are firmly grounded in their effective implementation and broader promotion. To this end, and as we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (PSMA), we support its central role in preventing fishing vessels engaged in IUU fishing activities from using ports and landing their catches, including through the PSMA Global Information Exchange System. We also welcome the key contribution of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies in addressing harmful fisheries subsidies that contribute to unsustainable and illegal practices.

In recognition of the central and foundational role of these two agreements, we commit to their full and effective implementation and call on other countries to do the same.

We also strongly support strengthened transparency in the fishing industry and fisheries management, which is a key driver for achieving tangible progress in the fight against IUU fishing. In this regard, we reaffirm our strong commitment to promote greater transparency regarding vessels’ beneficial ownership, improve data sharing among public authorities, and to undertake stronger efforts to address the use of flags of convenience related to IUU fishing activities. We also strongly support the mandatory use of Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) on the high seas, as well as enhanced international, regional and bilateral cooperation through the exchange of data and best practices among States, Regional Fisheries Management Organisations and relevant international bodies.

We value the essential role played by regional fisheries management organisations in implementing cooperative measures, inspections, and tools to combat IUU fishing activities, and we stress the importance of strengthening coordination among all institutional actors in order to support the effective implementation of agreements and enhance data sharing, particularly through the PSMA Global Information Exchange System already used by some Regional Fisheries Management Organisations.

We reaffirm our collective support towards the development of capacity building actions deployed by all governments, partners and stakeholders at a global, regional and local scale, including under the FAO Global Capacity Development program. We particularly acknowledge the acute challenges posed by IUU fishing in the Gulf of Guinea, where it has been estimated to account for 40% to 50% of the total catches, and reiterate the importance of the Yaoundé Framework in addressing these challenges by ensuring the mobilization of all partners and stakeholders on the IUU fishing issue. With respect to the G7++’s actions, we support the intention of the G7 French Presidency to explore strengthening cooperation in the field of IUU fishing.

To accelerate tangible progress, we reaffirm our shared commitment to further deepen our collaboration in addressing these priority areas. In doing so, we will seek to ensure strong complementarity and coherence with existing fora and initiatives, with a view to anchoring this initiative in a sustained, long-term framework of action and follow-up. In this context, we agree on the importance of coordinating our efforts to promote these priorities within the relevant fora in order to help accelerate their concrete implementation.

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Source: Ministères de l'Aménagement du territoire et de la Décentralisation, des Transports, de la Ville et du Logement

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	Please send comments to: g7@utoronto.ca This page was last updated April 24, 2026.