EU-wide digital recreational fisheries reporting system

[jd]

Interesting question raised in the Dail. It's not clear how this will be rolled out, or whether it will be mandatory. Thanks to Rob O'Donoghue (Lab - Fingal West) for raising it.

QUESTION


To ask the Minister for Climate; Energy and the Environment whether the EU-wide digital recreational fisheries reporting system, RecFishing, which was launched on 9 January 2026, pursuant to the revised EU Fisheries Control Regulation, will be rolled out in Ireland; and whether it will be compulsory for all recreational anglers in Ireland to register and record their catches using the associated mobile application once the system becomes operational; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

REPLY

New rules for recreational sea angling came into effect across the EU in January under a new EU Regulation 2023/2842, which amended Article 55 of the EU Fisheries Control Regulation 1224/2009. While the Regulation itself applies from January 2026, the practical application in Ireland will commence in line with national legislation, which is currently being drafted by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Marine.
A mobile app (RecFishing) has been developed by the EU Commission and recreational sea anglers will be required to download the app so they can register and report relevant catches on the system. Reporting obligations, insofar as recreational sea angling in Irish waters is concerned, are limited to fish species that are subject to existing EU conservation measures such as catch and release, bag limits, seasonal controls etc. Currently these requirements apply to:

blue fin tuna, which is subject to strict catch and release measures,
seabass, which is subject to a daily bag limit and
pollack, to which the EU has recently provided for a 3 fish bag limit for recreational anglers in Irish waters.

The app went live in January and is being made available to Member States on a phased basis, according to operational readiness and national timelines. It is expected that the app will be rolled out in Ireland later this year.
Inland Fisheries Ireland will be the competent authority responsible for implementing Article 55 measures. The initial phase of implementation will focus on education, guidance and awareness-building to support sea anglers in understanding and complying with the new measures.

Dail Question -> https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/qu ... /70/#pq_70

Some more info -> https://oceans-and-fisheries.ec.europa. ... 6-01-12_en