The Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) has rolled out a new digital catch certification system to help the Indian seafood sector comply with the European Union’s amended regulations on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Given the significant contribution of wild-caught seafood to India’s exports to the EU and the UK, MPEDA said effective adoption of the new catch certification and traceability requirements by all stakeholders is critical to sustaining and enhancing the country’s market share.

The authority has developed a dedicated digital platform to facilitate compliance with the EU’s traceability requirements, ensuring a transparent, efficient and streamlined certification process and continued market access for Indian seafood exports, said a press note.

The EU introduced the Catch Certificate system on January 1, 2010, under Regulation 1005/2008, to prevent, deter and eliminate IUU fishing. The regulation mandates validation of catch certificates for exports of wild-caught marine products to the EU.

In consultation with stakeholders, MPEDA has empanelled private agencies to develop applications for capturing traceability data required under the new EU Catch Certification System.

It has also integrated primary catch data traceability with its existing online Catch portal to facilitate validation of catch certificates, which must accompany consignments exported to the EU.

Following Brexit, the UK has retained similar regulatory requirements, making catch certificates mandatory for wild-caught marine product shipments to the country as well.

India exported 2,97,518 tonnes of marine products worth $1,592.09 million (₹13,935 crore) to the EU, including the UK, in FY26. This accounted for 15 per cent of the country’s total seafood export volume and 18.83 per cent of export value.

Major products shipped to the EU included frozen shrimp, frozen cuttlefish, fish oil, frozen squid and frozen surimi. Wild-caught products accounted for 16 per cent of the export volume to the region but contributed 27 per cent of the total export value.

Published on November 9, 2026