EU CATCH Certification: What Uganda Fish Exporters Need to Confirm With Their Buyer

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Two things happened to Uganda’s fish export market within weeks of each other. On 10 January 2026, the EU’s new digital CATCH system became mandatory for EU importers submitting catch certificates. On 28 January 2026, Uganda’s farmed fish sector was granted EU market access for the first time. Exporters who already had EU buyers are dealing with a new digital process replacing a paper one. Exporters entering the EU market for the first time are learning both the market and the new system at once.

Neither group can assume the paperwork side is someone else’s problem. Here’s what actually changed, who it affects, and what’s worth confirming with your buyer before your next shipment.

What Changed on 10 January 2026

CATCH is a digital system for creating, validating, and submitting catch certificates, the documents that confirm fish wasn’t caught illegally, before it enters the EU. It replaces the old process of EU importers manually processing paper certificates. Since 10 January 2026, EU importers are required to use CATCH to submit catch certificates and related documentation before their shipments clear.

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The EU’s own framework describes this as compulsory for EU importers specifically. Submission by non-EU exporting countries and their authorities is described as voluntary. In practice, that distinction matters less than it sounds: your catch certificate still has to end up correctly entered in CATCH for your shipment to clear, whether your buyer’s team enters it manually from your paperwork or your side submits it directly.

Who This Affects in Uganda

The European Union takes over 75% of Uganda’s total fish export volume, by far the largest single destination. That volume runs through a relatively small number of processors, UFPEA (the Uganda Fish Processors and Exporters Association) represents the country’s EU-approved processing firms, working alongside MAAIF as the EU’s designated Competent Authority for Uganda. If you’re shipping fish product to the EU at all, whether Nile perch or newly EU-approved farmed fish, this applies to you.

It’s also worth noting that Uganda’s farmed fish EU market access is brand new as of 28 January 2026. If you’re a processor or exporter moving into EU aquaculture exports for the first time, you’re setting up your export process and your buyer’s CATCH compliance process simultaneously, with no prior shipment history to fall back on if something doesn’t go through cleanly the first time.

Don’t Assume “Voluntary” Means “Not My Problem”

Because CATCH submission is framed as mandatory for the EU importer and voluntary for the exporting country, it’s tempting to read this as a system change that happens entirely on the other end. That’s a risky assumption.

The rollout hasn’t been smooth everywhere. Industry groups representing Alaska’s seafood exporters raised significant concerns earlier in 2026 that CATCH’s vessel-level traceability requirements didn’t fit how their fisheries actually operate, catches aggregated across multiple vessels before reaching a processor lose the traceability trail CATCH expects. They pushed for the transition grace period to be extended beyond 10 July 2026 to give exporters more time to adapt. Separately, the US issued its own Legal Harvest-U.S. certificate extension out to 30 November 2026 for wild-caught product specifically, a sign that even well-resourced exporting nations have needed extra runway to get their side of the documentation flow working smoothly with CATCH.

None of that is Uganda-specific. But it’s a clear signal that “the system is mandatory for the importer, not for us” hasn’t meant a frictionless transition anywhere else it’s been tested. The exporters who avoided disruption were the ones who confirmed their specific buyer’s process early, not the ones who waited to find out at the port.

What to Actually Confirm With Your EU Buyer

  • Is their compliance team already submitting through CATCH, or are they still working through their own transition
  • What format they need your catch certificate documentation in to enter it into CATCH without errors or delays
  • Whether your shipment’s traceability chain matches what CATCH expects, particularly if your catch or harvest process involves aggregating product from multiple sources before export
  • Who to contact on their end if a submission gets flagged, so a documentation mismatch doesn’t sit unresolved while your shipment waits

None of this is something a calculator or a government fee schedule can answer for you, it’s a conversation with your specific buyer, and it’s worth having before your next shipment rather than during a hold-up.

FAQ

What is the EU CATCH system?

A digital system for creating, validating, and submitting catch certificates for fish entering the EU, replacing the previous paper-based process. It became mandatory for EU importers on 10 January 2026.

Is CATCH mandatory for Uganda’s exporters, or just EU importers?

Framed as mandatory for EU importers and voluntary for non-EU exporting countries and their authorities. In practice, your catch certificate documentation still needs to be usable within CATCH for your shipment to clear, regardless of which side is technically required to submit it.

Did the CATCH rollout go smoothly elsewhere?

Not universally. Alaska’s seafood industry raised concerns about vessel-level traceability requirements and pushed for the transition grace period to extend beyond 10 July 2026. The US separately extended its own Legal Harvest-U.S. certificate deadline to 30 November 2026 for wild-caught product. Exporting nations with far more resources than Uganda’s fish sector have needed extra time to adapt.

Does this affect Uganda’s newly EU-approved farmed fish exports too?

Yes. Uganda’s aquaculture sector gained EU market access on 28 January 2026, close enough to CATCH’s 10 January mandatory date that new exporters are navigating both at once, without the benefit of an established shipment history to catch problems early.

Who represents Uganda’s fish processors and exporters on issues like this?

UFPEA (Uganda Fish Processors and Exporters Association), working with MAAIF as the EU’s designated Competent Authority for Uganda.

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