The EU has pledged €338.35 million for ocean conservation, sustainable fisheries and maritime security, with the funding announced at the Our Ocean Conference 2026 in Mombasa, Kenya.
The commitment was announced by Costas Kadis, the EU’s Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, at the conference taking place over two days in the Kenyan coastal city, the Commission disclosed in a release on Wednesday.
Part of the funding will support the Global Ocean Observing System, an international network that tracks ocean conditions to inform research and policy decisions.
The Commission also said money would go towards its OceanEye initiative, which it described as supporting evidence-based decision-making for marine policies.
Funding will also be used to address maritime security issues including piracy and unsafe navigation in the Southern Red Sea, the Horn of Africa and the Gulf of Aden.
Tackling illegal fishing and marine pollution
The EU said additional measures backed by the package would target illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, a term used for fishing that breaks rules, is not declared to authorities, or takes place outside effective regulation.
The Commission stated the funding would also support steps to reduce marine pollution, including plastics, chemicals and nutrient runoff, as well as restore vulnerable ecosystems.
Other elements include expanding marine protected areas and supporting work to improve scientific understanding of deep-sea biodiversity.
The Our Ocean Conference was launched in 2014 and has so far recorded more than 2,900 commitments worth about $169 billion.
