Oxfordshire, UK — 11 June 2025 — OceanMind, the impact organisation providing independent data intelligence to help protect the world’s ocean, today announces the launch of ZEROinFIVE, an initiative to stop all illegal seafood imports within five years by blocking illegally caught fish at ports.
Globally, an estimated 1 in 5 fish (20%) are caught illegally. In some countries, that number can reach as high as 50%. Such illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing is devastating marine ecosystems and harming honest fishers.
The Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA) — a UN FAO international treaty established in 2009 — gives governments the legal right to block illegally caught fish from entering markets, stopping it before it lands in port. If properly implemented by all signatories, the PSMA would essentially make illegal fish unsellable, meaning catch cannot be converted to cash.
However, most countries lack the resources, tools, data, and training to implement PSMA effectively. Today, only a handful of countries out of 80 signatories have an effective PSMA implementation that verifies the origin of every imported catch.
Crossing the bridge between PSMA’s potential and authorities’ capacity to enforce it is where OceanMind’s ZEROinFIVE initiative comes in.
“The challenge is monumental,” said Nick Wise, CEO, OceanMind. “But so is the opportunity. We have the legal framework and the technology — what we need now is coordinated action. Through ZEROinFIVE, we can equip nations with the tools and training to turn the PSMA from paper into practice, cutting off the pathways that allow illegal catch to reach consumers worldwide."
OceanMind’s planetary-scale technology, co-designed with Microsoft over the past 10 years, combines satellite surveillance with AI-powered risk assessments to streamline inspection planning, in-port investigation, and port use decision-making anywhere.
Harnessing these advanced technologies, OceanMind helps countries make confident, data-driven decisions to:
OceanMind’s capacity building programme begins with full support for PSMA risk assessments and inspection planning, followed by a complete handover and independent operation by the host country over a 12- to 24-month period.
Between 2015 and 2020, OceanMind supported Thailand authorities in a complete reform of its fisheries enforcement capability, including comprehensive PSMA implementation:
Following that success, OceanMind has also today announced at the third United Nations Ocean Conference a commitment to deliver this programme of capacity building in the Philippines and Cambodia, with the support of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Canada. Our newly launched ZEROinFIVE initiative aims to replicate and scale this approach globally.
OceanMind is ready to deploy this programme to all 80 signatories of the PSMA, closing every major port in the world to imported IUU fish. This would significantly reduce IUU fishing and the associated damage to the environment globally.
"We've proven this approach works in the regions where we've partnered with authorities," said Nick Wise. "Now we need philanthropic partners, collaborating governments, and participating authorities to help us rapidly scale. With expanded support, we can achieve what once seemed impossible: zero illegal seafood imports within five years. The ocean can't wait — but together, we don't have to."
Learn more about ZEROinFIVE, and talk to our team about how to support this work.
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ABOUT OCEANMIND
OceanMind is a modern breed of impact organization that’s equal parts mission-centric nonprofit NGO and tech-enabled data and analytics provider. It provides independent data intelligence to help protect the world’s ocean and support the nations, companies, people, and economies that depend on it.
Learn more here: https://oceanmind.global/
MEDIA CONTACT
Nikki Arnone, Inflection Point Agency for OceanMind nikki@inflectionpointagency.com
