UN Fish Stocks Agreement (UNFSA)

The 1995 UN Fish Stocks Agreement implements the UNCLOS provisions on straddling and highly migratory stocks, the populations that cross EEZ boundaries or roam the high seas. It obliges states to cooperate through regional fisheries management organizations, apply the precautionary approach, and accept boarding and inspection on the high seas. The treaty, in force since 2001, is the legal backbone that gives RFMO conservation measures their reach over distant-water fleets.