From 2026, the traceability of fishery and aquaculture products in the European Union has become entirely digital. The novelty is foreseen by Regulation (EU) 2023/2842, which substantially reforms the European fisheries control system by modifying the previous Regulation (EC) no. 1224/2009.
In reality, the new rules formally entered into force as early as January 2024, but the main provisions apply from 10 January 2026, the date which marks the operational start of the new digital system.
What does the new European regulation provide?
The heart of the reform is the obligation to record and transmit all information relating to fish products along the entire supply chain exclusively in electronic format. This is not a simple transition from paper to digital, but a structured system that allows you to follow the product from capture or farming to retail sale.
Each phase – from landing to transport, from distribution to marketing – must be accompanied by standardized, interoperable and verifiable data by the competent authorities. The objective is to make controls quicker and more effective and reduce the possibility of information manipulation.
From 10 January 2026 the obligation concerns fresh fish, frozen fish and unprocessed aquaculture products. In this first phase the reform therefore affects the product in its original form, without industrial transformations that alter its nature.
This means that the entire supply chain of fish sold fresh or frozen will have to be digitally traceable at every commercial step.
The system will also be extended to processed products from 10 January 2029. This second phase will include fish preserves, fish-based preparations, processed crustaceans and molluscs, as well as seaweed.
This is an important step, because a significant share of European consumption concerns processed products, such as canned tuna or ready-made fish-based dishes.
Why Europe has chosen digital traceability
The reform arises from the need to strengthen the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. Digitizing data allows information to be cross-referenced more quickly between Member States and makes it more difficult to place products from irregular activities on the European market.
The system also aims to reduce commercial fraud, such as species substitution or false indication of geographical origin. Structured and digital traceability makes it easier to reconstruct the actual path of the product and verify its consistency.
What changes for consumers
For those who buy fish, the change will not be immediately visible on the label, since the mandatory information on species, catch area and production method was already required by European legislation.
The substantial difference, however, concerns the reliability of the system. Data will no longer be based only on paper documentation or difficult-to-verify declarations, but on verifiable digital records throughout the supply chain. This should reduce the risk of fraud and strengthen confidence in controls.
The impact on companies in the supply chain
For industry operators the impact is more significant. Companies must adapt their IT systems, ensure electronic data recording and ensure the transmission of information according to common standards.
This is a structural change that involves technological and organizational investments, but which aims to standardize the rules throughout the European Union, overcoming national differences that in the past could generate gray areas in controls.
In the intentions of the European legislator, this evolution should strengthen legality, sustainability and consumer protection in a sector that in recent years has been at the center of environmental and commercial critical issues.
