International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing
A/RES/72/72
A/RES/72/72
This authority record treats the observance as a fixed annual date. The same month and day can be reused unless a stronger source changes the rule. Public-holiday or government status is never inferred from the observance name alone.
Overview
The International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing is observed on 5 June. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the day through resolution A/RES/72/72, adopted on 5 December 2017.
The observance draws attention to fishing that violates laws, escapes reporting systems or operates outside effective regulation and to the international cooperation needed to protect fisheries, ecosystems and legitimate livelihoods.
Why it matters
Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing can undermine fisheries management, distort markets and threaten food security and the livelihoods of communities that depend on sustainably managed fish stocks.
The day is most useful when it connects public awareness with concrete tools such as port-state controls, vessel information, monitoring, enforcement and cooperation between flag, coastal, port and market States.
History
The General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean proposed an initiative in 2015 to create an international day against IUU fishing. FAO’s Committee on Fisheries endorsed the proposal, and the FAO Conference adopted Resolution 9/2017 on 7 July 2017.
On 5 December 2017, the General Assembly adopted A/RES/72/72, proclaimed 5 June as the International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing and invited FAO to serve as lead agency for the day.
The day was celebrated for the first time on 5 June 2018. The date was selected because the FAO Agreement on Port State Measures entered into force on 5 June 2016.
How the observance developed
This timeline is assembled only from verified provenance fields. Missing stages are omitted rather than inferred.
General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), with the proposal subsequently endorsed by FAO’s Committee on Fisheries
FAO states that the GFCM proposed the initiative in 2015 and that the Committee on Fisheries endorsed it before the FAO Conference advanced the proposal.
United Nations General Assembly
UN General Assembly resolution A/RES/72/72
First documented observance
FAO explicitly identifies 5 June 2018 as the first International Day for the Fight against IUU Fishing.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
General Assembly meeting coverage and FAO sources identify FAO as the lead agency for the observance.
What the evidence establishes
Verified institutional roles and milestones are shown first. Fields that the reviewed sources do not establish remain fail-closed and are available below without competing with the confirmed record.
2 fields not established in reviewed sources
Ways to observe
Learn how the Port State Measures Agreement is designed to prevent vessels engaged in IUU fishing from using ports and landing catches.
Trace the seafood information available in a local market or restaurant and distinguish verified traceability information from assumptions about sustainability.
Review an official fisheries-management case to understand the roles of vessel monitoring, catch documentation, inspections and enforcement.
Support organizations or community programmes that promote legal, transparent and sustainable fisheries rather than treating individual consumers as the only point of responsibility.
Useful facts
The International Day for the Fight against IUU Fishing is observed every year on 5 June.
The General Assembly proclaimed the day through resolution A/RES/72/72 on 5 December 2017.
The proposal originated within the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean and was endorsed through FAO’s Committee on Fisheries and Conference.
FAO serves as the lead agency for the observance.
5 June was selected because the Agreement on Port State Measures entered into force on 5 June 2016, and the first observance took place on 5 June 2018.
Topic and context
What this page does not assume
- Keep the source-defined country, community, organizer or institutional scope; do not silently broaden it.
- Do not treat the title alone as proof of government recognition or public-holiday status.
- Do not add a creator, founding story or origin claim unless the supporting evidence establishes it.
Evidence & sources
Repeated links from the authority record, institutional provenance and editorial guide research are consolidated here. Badges show how each source is used; a contextual source is never treated as proof of establishment on its own.
Food and Agriculture Organization — Conference 2017 report / Resolution 9/2017 (opens in a new tab)
United Nations Digital Library — A/RES/72/72 (opens in a new tab)
Food and Agriculture Organization — first observance, 5 June 2018 (opens in a new tab)
Food and Agriculture Organization — International Day against IUU fishing (opens in a new tab)
United Nations — General Assembly meeting coverage (opens in a new tab)
United Nations — List of International Days and Weeks (opens in a new tab)
United Nations — Observances: who chooses them and how (opens in a new tab)
Understand it, compare it, then explore further
Start with the most common factual questions, then use reviewed distinctions and related authority records to understand where this observance fits.
Frequently asked questions
When is International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing?
5 June The stored recurrence guidance is: 5 June.
Does International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing fall on the same date every year?
The authority record classifies it as fixed annual, so its month and day are reusable unless stronger evidence changes the rule.
Is International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing an official public holiday?
The authority record verifies it within this scope: United Nations / international observance. That recognition does not by itself make it a statutory public holiday; the site only makes public-holiday claims when the supporting authority record explicitly does so.
Who established or recognizes International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing?
The reviewed provenance layer identifies United Nations General Assembly as the proclaiming or establishing body. The proposer or originator is recorded separately as General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), with the proposal subsequently endorsed by FAO’s Committee on Fisheries. Current facilitation or coordination is recorded as Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Is International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing international or country-specific?
The record has international or global institutional scope: United Nations / international observance. That does not mean every country treats the date as a public holiday or observes it in the same way.
How is this page verified?
The factual layer is source-backed and keeps its date rule, scope, provenance and editorial guardrails attached to the authority record. This record was checked on 2026-09-05.
Why is the IUU Fishing Day observed on 5 June?
FAO states that 5 June was chosen because the Agreement on Port State Measures, the first binding international agreement specifically targeting IUU fishing, entered into force on 5 June 2016.
When was the international day established?
The UN General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/72/72 on 5 December 2017 and proclaimed 5 June as the annual observance.
Who leads the observance?
The General Assembly invited the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to serve as lead agency for the day.
Other observances on June 5
These records also resolve to June 5, 2027 under the current authority data.
National Black Bear Day
The National Black Bear Festival states that it secured the National Black Bear Day designation and that the day is celebrated on the first Saturday in June each year.
National Gingerbread Day
Two Association of Nutrition & Foodservice Professionals chapter calendars from different publication years list National Gingerbread Day on 5 June.
National Prairie Day
The Missouri Prairie Foundation says it founded National Prairie Day in 2016 and observes it annually on the first Saturday in June; its current 2026 programme identifies 6 June 2026.
National Trails Day®
American Hiking Society; annual event begun in 1993
National Veggie Burger Day
National Day Calendar identifies Amy’s Kitchen as the founder and states that its registrar declared National Veggie Burger Day to be observed annually on June 5.
World Environment Day
A/RES/2994 (XXVII)