Certification of fishery products becomes fully digital

CATCH is coming. This is what will change from January 10, 2026

European regulations on the traceability of fishery products are changing significantly. From 10 January 2026, it will be mandatory to process all catch documentation digitally via CATCH, the new European system for catch certificates. During meetings held by the NVWA and the Visfederatie in November, it became clear that this change will have a major impact on importers, producers and exporters in the fish sector. Not only administratively, but also in terms of processes.

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What exactly is CATCH?

CATCH is the new European digital system for catch certificates. Where catch documentation was previously processed largely outside EU systems, it will now fall fully within one digital framework.

In concrete terms, this means:

• Catch documentation must be entered digitally
• Certification will no longer be paper-based
• Multiple parties must actively carry out actions in CATCH

Many companies have now registered, but registration alone is not enough. The system requires structural preparation and new working agreements.

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What will change in practice?

From 10 January 2026, the following obligations will apply:

• Digital entry of all catch documentation via CATCH
• Approval of export catch certificates by skippers and/or fishing licence holders, including for EU fish
• Confirmation of processing statements by producers in CATCH
• Stricter requirements for the completeness and consistency of data

This shifts part of the responsibility clearly to the supply chain itself. Not only importers or freight forwarders, but also skippers and producers will have an active role. This means more administration, more coordination between parties and less room for errors or corrections afterwards.

The changes are not limited to CATCH and the NVWA. Since 10 January, Customs has also adjusted its working method and declaration structure.

This means:

• New conditions for submitting customs declarations
• Additional data that must be provided
• Alignment between CATCH documentation and the customs declaration becomes more important

For many companies, this means a double transition: new catch documentation and a renewed customs approach.

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How we deal with this

Flevo Trade Service has prepared for these changes well in advance. By actively taking part in meetings held by the NVWA and the Visfederatie and by translating the regulations into practice at an early stage, the processes have been set up accordingly.

That means:

• Insight into how CATCH works within existing import and export flows
• Alignment between catch documentation and customs declarations
• Support with the transition to digital certification
• Preparation for additional inspections and data requirements

Work is also being done towards being able to prepare and support catch certificates ourselves, so companies do not have to work with separate links in the chain.

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Are you ready for CATCH?

Many companies are now noticing that CATCH is more than “just another new system”. It requires new agreements, clear responsibilities and well-structured administration. Are you noticing that these changes are having more impact than expected? Or is your company getting stuck in the new documentation or declaration procedures? Then it is wise not to wait until a shipment is held up before taking action. Feel free to get in touch. Flevo Trade Service thinks along with you and helps set up CATCH in a workable way within your processes.