Questions and answers on RecFishing

Why do recreational fishers now need to register their catches?

Marine fish stocks are a shared natural resource. Their protection and sustainable management depend on having a clear and reliable understanding of fishing activities across Europe, including recreational fishing.

From 10 January 2026, new measures under the revised EU Fisheries Control Regulation entered into force. These measures require marine recreational fishers to electronically report their catches daily for certain species.

Recreational fishing for some species has long been subject to rules such as conservation measures, including size limits, bag limits, and seasonal restrictions. The new reporting requirements do not introduce additional fishing restrictions.

The new RecFishing digital system simplifies and streamlines data collection across EU countries, factoring in recreational fishing as part of the overall management of shared marine resources.

The decision to strengthen the collection of recreational fishing catch data stems from the revamped EU Fisheries Control Regulation, adopted in 2023 by the European Parliament and the Council (of Ministers) with a large majority.

What are the objectives of these new reporting measures?

The main objective of these new reporting measures is to improve knowledge, transparency, and consistency in how recreational fishing is reported and managed across the EU.

Recreational fishing involves millions of citizens and plays an important social and cultural role in coastal and maritime communities. By improving the availability and quality of data, these measures will help better reflect the value and scale of this activity at EU level.

Collecting information on recreational fisheries is essential for understanding overall fishing activity. These new insights will support informed, evidence-based decision-making and help ensure the sustainable use and management of shared marine resources.

In the long-term, more accurate and reliable data will support the sustainability of fish stocks, which is essential for coastal communities and for the fisheries sector, whose livelihoods and competitiveness depend on healthy marine ecosystems.

What is RecFishing? How and why was it developed? 

RecFishing is an EU-level digital system including a European central server and database to collect catch aggregated data gathered from coastal EU countries and a mobile app for recreational fishers to report their catches in 13 EU countries.

RecFishing was developed as a collaborative effort between the Commission, coastal EU countries, scientists and representatives of the recreational fishing sector, including fishing federations and sector associations. Practical input and feedback from stakeholders helped ensure that the system reflects current fishing practices and user needs.

The European Parliament and the European Council created the legal framework that made it possible to develop a common EU approach to recreational fisheries data collection. Building on this framework, and at the request of 13 coastal EU countries (Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden), the Commission developed a common digital solution to support the implementation of the new reporting requirements. National authorities were closely involved, contributing to the design, testing, and validation of the system to ensure it could be adapted to their national needs.

RecFishing also draws on experience gained through a pilot project requested by the European Parliament in 2017. The lessons learned from that pilot project helped shape the current system and confirmed the value of a coordinated and digital approach at EU level.

How does RecFishing work in practice?

RecFishing is provided by the European Commission to participating coastal EU countries as a software-as-a-service. This delivery model promotes efficiency and consistency while fully respecting the legal framework and the responsibilities of each country. 

The system consists of two main elements: a central EU database and server, and a mobile application:

1) The central system acts as the back-end hub through which all 22 coastal EU countries transmit recreational fisheries data in a harmonised way. It receives national submissions so that information is consistent and comparable across countries, supporting scientific advice and evidence-based fisheries management. Countries submit aggregated monthly and annual data for specific species and stocks, and mechanisms are in place to communicate with the national systems of the nine coastal EU countries that have developed their own solutions for collecting data from fishers.

2) 13 coastal EU countries asked the Commission to develop a pan-European RecFishing mobile app, while the remaining coastal EU countries rely on national applications. Each country remains fully responsible for national implementation, regardless of whether it uses the EU-developed app or its own system and will roll out the service once operationally ready. When launched at national level, recreational fishers can use the mobile app to register and report their catches for certain species. This ensures harmonised data collection across the EU while leaving room for national flexibility. 

Overall, RecFishing supports citizen participation and provides a consistent and reliable EU-wide data framework, while keeping fisheries management responsibilities at national level.

Who is required to report marine recreational catches?

Recreational fishers targeting species subject to EU conservation measures must register. This applies to fishing activities in coastal EU countries’ territorial waters as well as in Union waters. The EU framework sets the baseline, but coastal EU countries may apply stricter national rules, for example by requiring all recreational fishers to register or by introducing criteria based on age or other national conditions. 

EU registration does not replace national licensing requirements, and in some countries fishers may still need a national licence or permit.

Registration procedures differ across the 22 coastal EU countries: nine use national systems, while 13 use the RecFishing mobile app. To understand which measures apply and how to register correctly, recreational fishers should contact their national authorities, who can provide country-specific guidance.

Under Article 55 of the revised EU Fisheries Control Regulation, recreational fishers are required to report their catches electronically and daily when fishing for species that are subject to EU conservation measures specifically applicable to recreational fisheries. This applies to recreational fishing activities carried out in EU countries’ territorial waters as well as in Union waters, regardless of the nationality of the fisher or fishing mode (from the shore, from a boat, under the water and from ice).

How will recreational fishers report their catches? 

Recreational fishers will report their catches using the mobile app made available in the EU country where they are fishing.

In 13 coastal EU countries (Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden), recreational fishers will report their catches using the EU-developed RecFishing mobile application, once it is officially released at national level. These countries have chosen to rely on the common EU solution. In the other nine coastal EU countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia and Spain), recreational fishers will report their catches using national electronic systems or apps developed by their national authorities.

In all cases, national authorities remain responsible for explaining how reporting works in practice, including which species must be reported, the timing of reports, and any national specificities. Recreational fishers are therefore encouraged to follow the guidance provided by the national authorities in the country where they are fishing.

Does the RecFishing mobile app track recreational fishers’ location?

No. The RecFishing mobile app does not track recreational fishers or monitor their movements. When the app is used for the first time, it may request access to the device’s location. This permission is used only to determine the catch area, not the fisher’s exact position. Exact coordinates remain stored locally on the fisher’s device and are never transmitted to any authority or server.

Only aggregated spatial information is transmitted in the form of statistical fishing areas, corresponding to the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) or the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) rectangles. These statistical grids do not allow individual identification or tracking.

The RecFishing app is designed to support catch reporting in line with the applicable rules, while respecting privacy and data protection requirements.

Why am I not yet able to download the RecFishing mobile app from the app store?

As RecFishing is deployed for the first time across multiple countries at large scale, a controlled and phased approach to go live was considered the most appropriate strategy.

The rollout of the RecFishing mobile app started on Friday 9 January and is being carried out gradually. The 13 countries requesting the development of the RecFishing mobile app will be onboarded over the coming weeks.

Fishers will be informed by competent national authorities when the RecFishing mobile app becomes available in their national app stores. At that moment, they will be able to download and start using the app.

More information

EU launches RecFishing - a digital system to simplify recreational fishing data collection