Catch Registration and Traceability from Haul to Harbour

What catch registration means

Catch registration is the recording, at or near the moment of capture and processing, of what was caught, where, when, with which gear and in what quantity, so that every lot leaving the vessel can be traced back to its origin. It links the operational work on deck to the legal records of the fishing trip and to the commercial documents that follow the fish ashore.

Registration serves three audiences at once. Fisheries control needs catch quantities per species and area for quota monitoring. Buyers and food safety authorities need to trace each lot. Consumers are entitled to specific origin information on the label. A single, well-structured record made on board can serve all three, which is why the quality of on-board data capture matters so much.

The data recorded per lot

For each lot of fishery products, EU rules require a defined minimum data set: lot number, trip identification, species, area, gear, catch date and net quantity. Since the revision of the EU fisheries Control Regulation by Regulation (EU) 2023/2842, Article 58(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 lists the information for lots of products under Chapter 3 of the Combined Nomenclature (fresh, chilled and frozen fish and seafood):

Point (c) covers imported products (vessel IMO number and catch certificate). Article 58(6) requires that this information is kept on record and made available in a digital way to the operator to whom the product is supplied and, on request, to the competent authorities. Article 1 of Regulation 2023/2842, which contains these amendments, applies from 10 January 2026; traceability rules for products under headings 1604 and 1605 (prepared and preserved fish and crustaceans) apply from 10 January 2029.

What a lot may contain

Article 56a sets the composition of lots. A lot of fishery products may contain only a single species, of the same product presentation, from the same relevant geographical area and from the same fishing vessel or group of vessels. A derogation allows quantities of several species totalling less than 30 kg per catching vessel per day, from the same area and presentation, to be put in one lot. Lots may later be merged or split only if the traceability information for the new lots remains available.

From haul to harbour: where each record is made

Traceable records are built in a fixed sequence: trip, haul, processing lot, packed unit and landing, each referring to the level above.

1. Trip. The electronic fishing logbook generates the unique fishing trip identification number. Under Article 14 of Regulation 1224/2009 as amended, the logbook records among other things the species (FAO alpha-3), area, date, gear and estimated quantities in kilograms live weight.
2. Haul. Position, time and gear are recorded per fishing operation. For vessels of 12 metres or more, catches retained on board are recorded per fishing operation.
3. Processing lot. Graded and processed fish of one species, presentation and area are grouped under a lot number. Each box or crate is weighed and assigned to the lot.
4. Packed unit. Each box receives a label with at least the lot identifier, often as a barcode, so the physical unit can be linked to the digital record. See Labelling Fish Boxes and Crates at Sea.
5. Landing. Under Article 60, fishery products are weighed per species on approved weighing systems at landing, unless a derogation applies. The operator weighing the products completes a weighing record for each landing and keeps it for three years.

Logbook estimates and the margin of tolerance

Weighed data on board improves the accuracy of logbook estimates. Article 14(3) sets the permitted margin of tolerance between logbook estimates and landed or inspected quantities at 10 % per species, and 20 % for species retained on board in quantities not exceeding 100 kg live-weight equivalent. Logbook figures are in live weight, while box weights are net product weight; where fish is gutted or filleted, conversion factors link the two and must be recorded where applicable.

What consumers must be told

When fishery products are offered to the final consumer or a mass caterer in the EU, Article 35(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1379/2013 requires the labelling to show five items, and the catch record must contain the data to produce them.

• (a) the commercial designation of the species and its scientific name;
• (b) the production method ("caught", "caught in freshwater" or "farmed");
• (c) the area where the product was caught and the category of fishing gear from Annex III;
• (d) whether the product has been defrosted;
• (e) the date of minimum durability, where appropriate.

Article 38(1) specifies that for products caught at sea the area is the sub-area or division from the FAO fishing areas, plus a name understandable to consumers or a map. Outside the Northeast Atlantic (FAO area 27) and the Mediterranean and Black Sea (FAO area 37) the name of the FAO fishing area is sufficient. The FAO area 27 fact sheet shows the sub-areas and divisions. The gear categories in Annex III are seines, trawls, gillnets and similar nets, surrounding nets and lift nets, hooks and lines, dredges, and pots and traps. Voluntary information such as the catch date, landing port or flag state may be added under Article 39, but only if it can be verified.

Digital versus paper registration

Digital registration is now the practical default because EU law requires lot information to be passed on digitally; paper can remain a fallback on board but not the system of record.

Article 58(7) refers to identification tools "such as a code, barcode, electronic chip or a similar device or marking system", and the GS1 guideline for fish, seafood and aquaculture traceability describes how lots and trade units can be identified with open standards. A digital record is only as good as its reference data: species lists with FAO codes, correct area mapping and consistent lot numbering matter more than the choice of software. What to store per weighing is covered in Weighing Data Logging at Sea, and sending it ashore in Ship-to-Shore Data.

Where the R50 fits

The R50 Catch Label System is WPL's system for catch registration and labelling on fishing vessels. It records catch location, fishing method, weights and lengths, and offers custom fields for additional statistics. It supports registering, sorting, filling, packing and freezing on board, with optional GPS and NFC sensors, and catch data can be sent ashore during the trip.

Which regulatory requirements a vessel must meet, and how a registration system is configured to support them, should be assessed per fishery, flag state and buyer; the R50 is a tool for capturing and labelling the data, not a substitute for that assessment. For static box weighing alongside registration, see the M2 Series Marine Scale, and for the wider process on board the onboard processing hub.