Fish, Trace, Ship for catching sector
Source: gov.uk (2025-10-22)

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is calling on fishers to prepare for new EU import controls coming into force on 10 January 2026.

These changes reflect updates to the EU’s Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) regulations and will require vessel owners or skippers to provide extra data to ensure their produce can be exported smoothly.

MMO is updating the Fish Export Service (FES) to ensure the IT system can provide the catch certificates required by the EU from 10 January 2026, providing each sector of the UK supply chain delivers the correct information on time.

The Fish, Trace, Ship (https://fishtraceship.campaign.gov.uk/support-for-our-fishers/) campaign, led by MMO and backed by all UK Fisheries Administrations, is supporting fishers and the wider seafood supply chain to understand the implications of additional data required by these new import controls.

Webinars, guidance and communications are designed to enable the fishing industry and associated businesses to act now to keep exports flowing when the changes come into force.

Nick Greenwood, MMO’s Head of Marine Protection and Operations Services, said: “These changes are likely to affect you if the fish you land is exported from the UK.

“You can minimise any impacts to the supply chain by familiarising yourself with these changes and providing the required information to your buyer.

“Our concern is that fishers who don’t supply the additional information on time may find themselves disadvantaged commercially if its absence causes delays or stops an export consignment.

“For that reason, we are urging all fishers in the UK to get ready so they can continue to trade normally when the new catch certificate requirements come into force.”

From 10 January 2026, the EU will require the following new information to be included on a Catch Certificate:
- The start date of the fishing trip
- The gear type used
- Information relating to transport documentation (not applicable to direct landings)
- The area of catch (which exclusive economic zone [EEZ] or High Seas area the catch occurred in and whether there is interest from a regional fisheries management organisation [RFMO]).
As a first step, fishers and seafood businesses are advised to visit the Fish, Trace, Ship (https://fishtraceship.campaign.gov.uk/support-for-our-fishers/) campaign site, check out the Frequently Asked Questions (https://fishtraceship.campaign.gov.uk/frequently-asked-questions-faqs/) content, sign up (https://mailchi.mp/673fd09903a9/fish-trace-ship-2) for our regular email updates, and look out for two upcoming webinars on the 5th (https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/eadd6f07-0182-4716-9bbc-67254fb8c86f@770a2450-0227-4c62-90c7-4e38537f1102) and 19th (https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/7a119697-c63a-479c-a280-ac251a2c9c48@770a2450-0227-4c62-90c7-4e38537f1102) November.”

Nick Greenwood added: “Our priority is to help fishers and seafood businesses to act early so that these additional data requirements quickly become part and parcel of their daily business routine.

“By taking steps now fishers, merchants, processors and exporters should be better able to navigate the extra requirements when they become compulsory in January next year.”