The EU delays the obligation to declare catches in recreational fishing due to technical issues

The European Commission has decided to postpone the entry into force of the obligation to declare catches from recreational sea fishing, which was initially scheduled for January 10, 2026, due to technical difficulties in rolling out the digital RecFishing application across all Member States.

According to the EU executive, the European tool, designed to allow recreational fishers to electronically record and report their catches, is not yet fully operational at Union-wide level, making it impossible to effectively enforce the new legal obligations. For this reason, the Commission has chosen to delay its implementation until a later date, which will be announced in due course.

In the meantime, recreational fishers are not required to register or declare their catches. These requirements will only begin to apply once the application is officially launched at national level. The final timeline will be published in coordination with the Member States when the system is ready.

The obligation to declare catches is part of the EU Fisheries Control Regulation, revised and approved in 2023 by the European Parliament and the Council, with the aim of improving data collection on recreational fishing and strengthening the sustainable management of marine resources, which are considered a common good.

Authorities in Brussels emphasize that the new regulation does not introduce additional restrictions on the activity, as the affected species were already subject to conservation measures such as minimum sizes, catch limits, or seasonal closures. The new system focuses exclusively on improving the information available on an activity practiced by millions of European citizens and one that has significant social and cultural importance in coastal communities.

At the core of the measure is RecFishing, a European digital system that includes a shared database and a mobile application for recreational fishers in 13 EU coastal countries, while other Member States will use compatible national solutions. Data will be transmitted in aggregated form to support scientific advice and evidence-based decision-making.

The European Commission has also stressed that the application does not allow the tracking of fishers’ locations, as it only uses broad statistical areas and fully complies with EU data protection regulations.

In the case of Spain, recreational fishers will not use the European RecFishing application, but instead will be required to use national electronic systems developed and managed by the Spanish authorities. These authorities will remain responsible for informing fishers when and how catch registration and reporting will be required once the obligation comes into force.

Until the application is fully operational and the new schedule is announced, the message from EU authorities is clear: recreational fishers do not need to carry out any procedures or make any declarations.