MPEDA Rolls Out Digital Catch Certification to Meet the EU's New Illegal Fishing Rules
The Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) has rolled out a new digital catch certification system for Indian seafood exporters.
The aim is to help exporters meet the European Union's amended rules against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing. Under these rules, every consignment of wild-caught sea fish going to the EU must carry a validated catch certificate (a document proving where, when and by which boat the fish was legally caught).
After talks with the industry, MPEDA has empanelled (approved a list of) private agencies to build apps that capture the traceability data the EU now asks for. It has also linked this primary catch data with its existing online catch certificate portal.
The United Kingdom kept similar rules after leaving the EU (Brexit), so catch certificates are needed for exports there too.
In FY26, India exported 2,97,518 tonnes of marine products worth US$ 1,592.09 million (₹13,935 crore) to the EU including the UK. This was 15% of India's seafood export volume and 18.83% of its value.
Wild-caught products made up only 16% of the volume to this region but 27% of its value. Main items were frozen shrimp, frozen cuttlefish, fish oil, frozen squid and frozen surimi (a fish paste).
Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing
IUU fishing is a broad name for fishing that breaks the rules, hides its catch, or takes place where no rules exist. "Illegal" means breaking a law, "unreported" means not telling the authorities (or giving false figures), and "unregulated" means fishing in areas or for fish stocks that no authority manages. Together, these practices empty the oceans, cheat honest fishers and make it impossible to know how many fish are really left.
The EU's anti-IUU rules require a validated catch certificate with every wild-caught consignment, and the amended rules now ask for detailed digital traceability data. MPEDA's new digital system is India's way of meeting these demands, so that exports of wild-caught items like cuttlefish and squid to the EU and UK continue without disruption.
Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA)
The Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) is the Government of India body that promotes the export of seafood. It is a statutory body, which means it was created by a law of Parliament: the MPEDA Act, 1972. It works under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and its headquarters is in Kochi, Kerala. In simple words, MPEDA helps Indian seafood reach foreign markets and makes sure the industry meets the rules of those markets.
MPEDA is the body that validates catch certificates for Indian seafood going to the EU and UK. By empanelling private agencies to build traceability apps and linking catch data to its online portal, it is helping exporters meet the EU's stricter, digital IUU rules and protect a market worth about US$ 1.6 billion a year.
- EU catch certificate system started: 1 January 2010, under Regulation (EC) 1005/2008
- EU CATCH digital system compulsory from 10 January 2026 (Regulation (EU) 2023/2842)
- India's marine exports to EU (including UK), FY26: 2,97,518 tonnes, US$ 1,592.09 million (₹13,935 crore)
- Share of India's seafood exports to EU and UK: 15% of volume, 18.83% of value
- Wild-caught share of exports to the region: 16% of volume, 27% of value
- Main items to the EU: frozen shrimp, frozen cuttlefish, fish oil, frozen squid, frozen surimi
- UK retained catch certificate rules after Brexit
- India's total seafood exports FY26: 19.72 lakh tonnes, ₹73,890.46 crore (about US$ 8.46 billion)