Last month at the Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa, Kenya, fisheries transparency took center stage.
The Coalition for Fisheries Transparency delegation joined the conference and used the opportunity to advance transparency issues among a broad audience of policymakers, partners, funders, and the media.
A signature outcome of the conference was the signing of 16 countries to the Mombasa Declaration, a commitment to advance global fisheries transparency and strengthen efforts to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. The Mombasa Declaration united countries committed to strengthening ocean governance and building support and momentum for the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency. The Declaration was announced at a press conference featuring Hon. Emelia Arthur, Ghana’s Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, and was celebrated at an evening reception sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies Ocean Initiative and Oceana, along with the Coalition for Fisheries Transparency, Environmental Justice Foundation, and Global Fishing Watch, called “Celebrating Global Momentum for Transparency at Sea.”
The signing of the Declaration attracted wide attention at the conference and made ripples across local, regional and global media. It also launched a year-long campaign to build support for more countries to sign the Declaration, including a dedicated campaign landing page at mombasadeclaration.org.
CFT, along with Bloomberg Philanthropies Ocean Initiative, Oceana, Environmental Justice Foundation, Global Fishing Watch, and Stop Illegal Fishing, organized an official side event titled “From Africa to the World: Scaling Fisheries Transparency Reforms.” This event spotlighted the leadership in fisheries transparency exhibited by African governments across the continent, and how nations in West, Central, and Southern Africa have turned commitments into action, the impacts of these policies on livelihoods and enforcement, and lessons for countries all over the world.
Prior to the conference, the CFT team, in coordination with partners, organized a two-day press trip to locations on the Kenyan coast, working with local partners to meet fishers engaged on transparency issues. The group heard from a group of longtime fishers from the town of Malindi, who are concerned about their lack of information about international trawlers encroaching on their traditional fishing waters. And in the tiny island village of Mkwiro, locals are working with Coastal and Marine Resource Development (COMRED) to train community members to collect catch data and make management decisions.
Overall, Our Ocean 2026 highlighted the need and benefits for increased transparency if we are to create space for equitable ecosystem and social outcomes. Now, leveraging the Mombasa Declaration, the Coalition is spearheading meaningful changes on-the-ground and in multilateral bodies working with our global partners.
