The Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing, a new treaty that aims to close fishing ports to ships involved in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, has been approved by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) governing Conference. Once it enters into force, it will be the first ever legally binding international treaty focused specifically on this problem. It will also be the only treaty to enlist so-called “non-flag states” in the fight against IUU fishing, alongside flag states that are primarily responsible for the conduct of vessels flying their flags on the high seas. The Agreement will enter into force following the 25th ratification. The first eleven FAO members – Angola, Brazil, Chile, the European Community, Indonesia, Iceland, Norway, Samoa, Sierra Leone, the United States and Uruguay – signed the treaty immediately following its approval by the Conference. [Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing] [UN FAO press release, 25 November 2009]