From Net to Plate: What the EU’s Revised Fisheries Control System Means for Traceability

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing remains one of the biggest threats to global ocean sustainability. Roughly one in five wild-caught fish on the market is taken illegally, representing an annual loss of $10–23.5 billion worldwide.  

The EU is the world’s largest seafood market by value and an importer of more than 60% of the fish it consumes. Hence, it holds the responsibility to ensure that catches entering its supply chains are legal and traceable. Effective control is not just about protecting fish stocks; it is about safeguarding the integrity of the entire seafood economy. 

The revised Fisheries Control System entered into force in January 2024, marking the most significant reform of fisheries controls since 2009. The new regulation, a product of five years of intense negotiation, fundamentally reshapes how the EU monitors, verifies and enforces compliance with the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).  

By mandating digital reporting, the updated framework modernizes how fisheries are controlled. It also expands oversight to previously under-regulated segments such as recreational fisheries. The revised regulation harmonizes sanctions across Member States, with an aim to close long-standing loopholes and create a more level playing field. 

Key Features of the Revised Fisheries Control System 

The revised rules of the fisheries control regulation update the compliance requirements, concentrated within three main pillars:  

• Full digitalization of monitoring,  
• stronger traceability from “net to plate”, and 
• harmonized sanctions across member states. 

Here’s a breakdown of all the key features within the Revised Fisheries Control System 

Mandatory digital tracking for all fishing vessels within EU

The revised rules extend the digital tracking to cover the entire EU fleet, and not just large vessels. Fishing vessels should equip a tracking device that transmits positional data, enabling relevant authorities to locate and identify them and to monitor activity in sensitive or restricted areas.  

This also includes vessels under twelve meters and limited exemptions for some boats under nine meters operating very close to shore.

Electronic catch reporting for every fishing trip

All EU catching vessels now need to register and declare their catches electronically. This covers the fishing logbook, trans-shipment declarations and landing declarations. This change aims to rectify the dependency on paper-based logbooks and fragmented systems, and facilitate real‑time catch data.

Introducing Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM)

Member States should now deploy REM systems, which include on‑board CCTV cameras and sensors, to monitor compliance with the landing obligation. This is mandatory for vessels that are 18 meters or bigger and are assessed as high‑risk for non‑compliance. 

Full digital traceability “from net to plate”

The revised system extends the control to the entire supply chain, making full digital traceability mandatory for fresh and frozen fishery and aquaculture products. This will also be extended to processed products (e.g. canned fish) by 2029.  

It is also important to note that starting from 9 January 2026, EU importers must use the IT tool CATCH to submit catch certificates for fishery products imported into the EU market. The purpose of CATCH is to simplify and speed up the administrative process by offering a digital and paperless workflow.

Harmonized sanctions and a uniform points system

Minimum levels for administrative financial penalties for serious infringements are set at EU level, so that the same offence is not punished with a token fine in one Member State and a serious penalty in another. 

Moreover, the Annex III of the revised regulation contains a detailed table of points to be assigned to license holders and masters for specific serious infringements, thus strengthening the points system. 

Implementing full digital traceability for fisheries with osapiens HUB for Food Traceability (fTrace)

osapiens HUB for Food Traceability (fTrace) enables companies to meet the digital traceability demands of the revised Fisheries Control Regulation in a fast and practical way. Here are some of the targeted features that allow fisheries to scale digital traceability across the entire supply chain: 

• Attach all mandatory catch attributes to each lot and passes them forward electronically 
• Enable compliant data sharing with non-onboarded partners such as transporters and Hotels, Restaurants, and Catering (HoReCa) operators 
• Equipped with a fresh produce counter interface that records and reports unpacked products in a click