As of January 10, 2027, additional obligations will come into effect for fisheries control. For beam/plank fishing, every boom, board, or plank must be marked with the registration letters and number of the fishing vessel. Similarly, every seam line of each net in trawl fishing must be marked in the same way. Fishing activities are prohibited without these markings. Furthermore, fisheries control validates data through a system that checks Vessel Monitoring System (VMS), Automatic Identification System (AIS), and ERS data, as well as transport and sales documents, fishing permits, and inspection reports. Data from transport documents will also be exchanged between member states.
From January 11, 2027, new measures will apply to the weighing of fishery products. The ongoing Common Control Programmes with France and Ireland will no longer be applied. New provisions will be introduced for sample and control plans, and for Common Control Programmes to obtain derogations from immediate full weighing upon landing. These plans must comply with Articles 10 to 12 of Implementing Regulation 2026/1932 and will be approved for a period of five consecutive years, with the possibility of renewal.
Weighing registers must contain minimum data, including the name of the authorized weighing company, the model and serial number of the weighing system, the name or identification code of the fishing vessel, the unique identification number of the fishing trip, the date and time of weighing, the place of weighing, the FAO code for each species, the quantities weighed in kilograms, and any deduction for water and ice. For weighings that are part of a Common Control Programme, additional information is required, such as registration numbers of weighing installations and start/end figures from weighing systems. Extra information is needed for onboard weighings and approved sampling plans.
There are additional provisions regarding the minimum requirements for weighing systems, with further measures to be implemented from January 10, 2030. New minimum conditions will also apply to sampling plans, the control plan, and Common Control Programmes. For instance, transporters must register and use non-duplicable seals. Access to video recordings of weighing for control purposes has been applicable since January 10, 2026, but within a Common Control Programme, it becomes an alternative condition with a benchmark of at least 5% remote electronic monitoring via CCTV. Additional benchmarks also apply for the minimum number of unannounced inspections.
From July 10, 2027, the frequency of transmitting vessel position data will change. The vessel tracking equipment must transmit position data at least once every 30 minutes to the flag Member State's fisheries control centre (VCC). The Commission is also working on implementing provisions for measures from January 10, 2028, concerning remote electronic monitoring and continuous monitoring of engine power, as well as a new regulation consolidating measures related to authorized net gear and supplementary technical measures.
From January 10, 2027, the template for simplified catch certificates under Annex IV of Regulation (EC) No 1010/2009 will also change. This new template applies to third-country vessels with an overall length of less than 12 meters without towed gear, or less than 8 meters with towed gear, or without a superstructure, or with a measured gross tonnage of less than 20. Original catch certificates and simplified catch certificates run until January 10, 2026, and January 10, 2027, respectively, but remain valid until January 10, 2028, if catches were validated before the respective dates and offered for import into the EU before January 10, 2028. Revised templates apply from January 10, 2026, and January 10, 2027, without an end date. A new NMD template for storage declarations is mandatory from January 10, 2026.
