Illegal fishing is one of the most-asked topics in fisheries competitive exams — and one of the easiest places to lose marks, because the treaties, years and sea zones all sound alike. This set of 20 MCQs covers the global rulebook: UNCLOS maritime zones, the FAO Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA), the WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement, and the FAO instruments that examiners return to again and again. Read the short revision notes first, attempt every question, then check the answer key with explanations.
Quick revision: the facts examiners test
IUU fishing stands for Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing. The FAO estimates it costs the world 11–26 million tonnes of fish every year, worth US$10–23 billion. It is not one offence but three: fishing that breaks national or international law, catches that are not reported or are misreported, and fishing by vessels or in areas outside any regulation.
The backbone of ocean law is the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), adopted in 1982 and in force since 16 November 1994. Distances are measured from the coastal baseline. The territorial sea extends to 12 nautical miles (full sovereignty, subject to innocent passage), the contiguous zone to 24 nautical miles (customs, fiscal, immigration and sanitary control), and the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) to 200 nautical miles. The classic trap: in the EEZ a coastal state has sovereign rights over resources, not full sovereignty — other states keep freedom of navigation and overflight. Beyond the EEZ lie the high seas, where no state can claim sovereignty and vessels are under the jurisdiction of their flag state.
The enforcement chain runs through FAO instruments. The Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (1995) is voluntary; the International Plan of Action on IUU fishing (IPOA-IUU, 2001) is a voluntary toolbox; the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA, 2009) is the first binding treaty aimed specifically at IUU fishing. It entered into force on 5 June 2016 and, according to FAO (November 2024), binds 79 Parties covering 105 States (the European Union counts as one Party for its member states). Its logic is simple: deny IUU vessels port entry and port services, and their catch cannot reach the market. That is why 5 June is also the International Day for the Fight Against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing, proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 2017.
The newest pillar is trade law. The WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, adopted at the 12th Ministerial Conference on 17 June 2022, entered into force on 15 September 2025 after two-thirds of WTO members accepted it. It prohibits subsidies for IUU fishing, for overfished stocks, and for fishing on the unregulated high seas. Note the scope trap: aquaculture and inland fisheries are expressly outside its scope — it covers marine wild capture fishing only. It builds on SDG target 14.6, which called for prohibiting certain harmful fisheries subsidies.
Maritime zones at a glance
| Zone | Limit from baseline | Coastal state power |
|---|---|---|
| Territorial sea | 12 nautical miles | Full sovereignty, subject to innocent passage |
| Contiguous zone | 24 nautical miles | Control over customs, fiscal, immigration, sanitary matters |
| Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) | 200 nautical miles | Sovereign rights over resources — not full sovereignty |
| High seas | Beyond the EEZ | No sovereignty; flag-state jurisdiction |
Treaty timeline at a glance
| Year | Instrument | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 / 1994 | UNCLOS adopted / in force | The “constitution for the oceans”; defines all maritime zones |
| 1995 | FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries | Voluntary global standards for responsible fishing |
| 2001 | IPOA-IUU | Voluntary action plan against IUU fishing |
| 2009 / 2016 | PSMA adopted / in force | First binding treaty targeting IUU fishing, via port controls |
| 2022 / 2025 | WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement adopted / in force | First WTO deal with an environmental sustainability objective |
20 MCQs: IUU fishing and ocean governance
Attempt all 20 before scrolling to the answer key.
Q1. What does “IUU” stand for in IUU fishing?
A) Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated
B) Illicit, Unregistered and Uncontrolled
C) Illegal, Unlicensed and Unmonitored
D) International, Unreported and Unregulated
Q2. “Unreported fishing” most accurately means fishing where the catch is:
A) Sold without a licence
B) Not reported, or misreported, to the relevant national authority or RFMO
C) Caught only on the high seas
D) Taken by a foreign vessel
Q3. The FAO Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA) was adopted in which year?
A) 1995
B) 2001
C) 2009
D) 2016
Q4. The PSMA entered into force on:
A) 5 June 2016
B) 17 June 2022
C) 16 November 1994
D) 10 December 1982
Q5. According to FAO (November 2024), the PSMA binds how many Parties, covering how many States?
A) 55 Parties, 60 States
B) 79 Parties, 105 States
C) 100 Parties, 120 States
D) 62 Parties, 90 States
Q6. The core enforcement mechanism of the PSMA is that port states may:
A) Seize any foreign vessel in their EEZ
B) Deny port entry and port services to vessels engaged in IUU fishing, and inspect suspect vessels
C) Ban all fish imports
D) Set catch quotas for foreign fleets
Q7. The International Day for the Fight Against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing is observed on:
A) 8 June
B) 5 June
C) 22 April
D) 16 October
Q8. The FAO estimates IUU fishing costs the world roughly:
A) 1–2 million tonnes, US$1–2 billion a year
B) 11–26 million tonnes, US$10–23 billion a year
C) 50 million tonnes, US$100 billion a year
D) 5 million tonnes, US$5 billion a year
Q9. UNCLOS — the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea — was adopted in:
A) 1958
B) 1973
C) 1982
D) 1994
Q10. UNCLOS entered into force on:
A) 10 December 1982
B) 16 November 1994
C) 5 June 2016
D) 1 January 2000
Q11. The breadth of the territorial sea under UNCLOS is:
A) 3 nautical miles
B) 12 nautical miles
C) 24 nautical miles
D) 200 nautical miles
Q12. In the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the coastal state enjoys:
A) Full sovereignty identical to its land territory
B) Sovereign rights over natural resources, while other states retain freedom of navigation
C) No rights at all
D) Rights only over the seabed, not the water column
Q13. The contiguous zone extends to:
A) 12 nautical miles
B) 24 nautical miles
C) 100 nautical miles
D) 200 nautical miles
Q14. On the high seas, which statement is correct?
A) The nearest coastal state exercises sovereignty
B) No state may claim sovereignty; vessels fall under their flag state’s jurisdiction
C) Fishing is banned entirely
D) Only UN member states may navigate
Q15. The FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (1995) is:
A) A binding treaty with penalties
B) A voluntary instrument setting principles and standards for responsible fisheries
C) An EU regulation
D) A WTO agreement
Q16. The IPOA-IUU, the FAO action plan against IUU fishing, was adopted in:
A) 1995
B) 2001
C) 2009
D) 2017
Q17. The WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies was adopted at the 12th Ministerial Conference in:
A) June 2015
B) June 2022
C) September 2025
D) December 2017
Q18. The WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies entered into force on:
A) 17 June 2022
B) 15 September 2025
C) 5 June 2016
D) 1 January 2024
Q19. Which sector is expressly OUTSIDE the scope of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies?
A) Marine wild capture fishing
B) Aquaculture and inland fisheries
C) High-seas fishing
D) Fishing of overfished stocks
Q20. “MCS” in fisheries enforcement stands for:
A) Marine Conservation Scheme
B) Monitoring, Control and Surveillance
C) Maritime Catch Statistics
D) Maximum Catchable Stock
Answer key with explanations
1 – A. Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated. The three words are three distinct violations, not synonyms.
2 – B. “Unreported” is about reporting failure — catch not reported or misreported to the authority or regional body — not about licensing alone.
3 – C. The PSMA was approved by the FAO Conference on 22 November 2009.
4 – A. It entered into force on 5 June 2016, thirty days after the 25th instrument of adherence was deposited.
5 – B. FAO (November 2024): 79 Parties binding 105 States; the EU counts as one Party for its 27 member states.
6 – B. Port denial and inspection are the PSMA’s levers — block the port, block the market.
7 – B. 5 June, chosen because it is the anniversary of the PSMA’s entry into force; proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 2017.
8 – B. FAO’s widely cited estimate: 11–26 million tonnes, US$10–23 billion per year.
9 – C. UNCLOS was adopted at Montego Bay on 10 December 1982.
10 – B. It entered into force on 16 November 1994.
11 – B. 12 nautical miles from the baseline, with innocent passage for foreign ships.
12 – B. The EEZ trap: sovereign rights over resources, not sovereignty. Navigation and overflight freedoms of other states survive.
13 – B. 24 nautical miles, for customs, fiscal, immigration and sanitary control.
14 – B. No sovereignty on the high seas; the flag state controls its vessels.
15 – B. The Code is voluntary — a standards reference, not a treaty with penalties. The PSMA is the binding one.
16 – B. The IPOA-IUU was adopted in 2001, within the framework of the Code of Conduct.
17 – B. Adopted by consensus at MC12 on 17 June 2022 after more than 20 years of negotiation.
18 – B. It entered into force on 15 September 2025, once two-thirds of WTO members had accepted it.
19 – B. Aquaculture and inland fisheries are expressly excluded; the deal covers marine wild capture fishing.
20 – B. Monitoring, Control and Surveillance — the day-to-day enforcement toolkit (patrols, VMS tracking, inspections).
How to use this set
Cover the key, score yourself out of 20, and re-read only the questions you missed. The highest-yield revision is the zone table (12 / 24 / 200 nautical miles) and the treaty timeline (1995 voluntary Code, 2001 IPOA, 2009/2016 PSMA, 2022/2025 WTO deal) — examiners mix these years deliberately. If a question mentions “binding”, the answer is almost always the PSMA or the WTO agreement, never the Code of Conduct or the IPOA-IUU. If it mentions “sovereignty” in the EEZ, the correct answer is the option that says “sovereign rights”, not sovereignty.
Official sources to verify
- FAO — Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA): fao.org/port-state-measures
- FAO — IUU fishing and the International Day, 5 June: fao.org/iuu-fishing
- WTO — Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies: wto.org — fisheries subsidies
- United Nations — Convention on the Law of the Sea: unclos text (UN)
Keep practising
- World Fisheries 2026: 20 MCQs Every Aspirant Must Ace
- Indian Marine Fisheries: 20 MCQs Aspirants Must Ace
- Reservoir Fisheries: 20 MCQs Every Aspirant Must Ace
- Biofloc MCQs: 20 Questions Every Aspirant Must Ace
Note: the images in this post are illustrations created for this article.