On Monday 12 January, the European Commission announced the launch, three days earlier, of an EU-wide digital solution called RecFishing, designed to simplify and streamline data collection on recreational fishing catches in all EU marine areas.
From 10 January 2026, new measures under the EU Fisheries Control Regulation have come into force. They require recreational sea fishers to declare their catches electronically on a daily basis for certain species.
As part of this, 22 EU coastal countries will be required to collect data on catches of certain fish species and populations caught during recreational fishing activities at sea. To support coastal countries in implementing these new requirements and to help limit costs for national authorities, the EU has developed and made available a common digital system (RecFishing: https://aeur.eu/f/k7s ).
Better data on recreational fishing at sea will enable scientists to more accurately assess the quantities of fish caught, with a view to sustainably managing fish stocks. They will also provide a clearer picture of fishing activity in the various sectors.
This is the first large-scale collection of data on recreational sea fishing at EU level. Coastal countries will gradually make the mobile app available to recreational fishers for registration and reporting catches, depending on their operational readiness and national timelines.
Recreational fishers are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the system. The mobile app for recording catches will be rolled out gradually, as each EU country finalises its national procedures. Once the app is available in their country, recreational fishers will have to declare their catches. In the 13 countries already using the RecFishing mobile app (Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Sweden), fishers can contact their national authorities for more information on the system’s rollout and implementation.
The decision to step up the collection of data on recreational fishing catches stems from the revision of the EU Fisheries Control Regulation, adopted in 2023.
Details: https://aeur.eu/f/k7t (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)