Electronic logbooks - what you need to know.

Coming soon - UK implementation of electronic logbook reporting - for boats over 15m.

Under the new electronic catch reporting system - catch log data transmitted ashore will will need to match what's in the fishroom .

The obligation for the installation of an electronic logbook system is set out in:




•Council Regulation 1966/2006 (PDF 100 KB)


•Council Regulation 1006/2008 (PDF 116 KB)


•Commission Regulation 1077/2008 (PDF 120 KB)


•Council Regulation 1224/2009 (PDF 1.8 MB).


Electronic logbooks will replace paper logbooks, which will be withdrawn. Vessels will have to submit all daily activity by midnight UTC. This applies whether a vessel is fishing or not during the voyage, and in any waters.

All fishing activity submitted electronically may be viewed by Royal Navy patrol vessels as well as fisheries administration and enforcement staff. The information submitted will be also available to inspectors of other member states of the EU and third countries while vessels are in their waters.

Approved software has been available in the UK since May 2010. We expect owners of vessels over 24 metres overall length to demonstrate their intention to comply no later than 1 October 2010, either by having approved software installed and working, or by being able to provide evidence of taking specific steps to having a system installed.

Vessels over 15 metres overall length are not currently required to be compliant, but should anticipate the dates by which they should by ordering electronic logbook systems within reasonable time. Vessels over 15 metres overall length that fish outside Community waters should have the software installed by 1 January 2011 and over 15 metres overall length that do not fish outside of Community waters should have the software installed by 1 July 2011.

Grant aid is currently available towards the cost of the electronic logbook software for vessels over 15 metres overall length. Only approved software is eligible for grant aid.

Approved software has been through an extensive testing process commissioned by the UK fisheries administrations testing agent, National Computer Centre Group. This is to ensure that it meets the published specification required to communicate with the central system – the UK Hub.

For more information, please see the step-by-step guide on how to comply with the electronic logbook legislation and apply for a grant aid.

Key dates

The regulations set out the obligations on member states to introduce submission of:

•electronic sales notes (eSales Notes) from 1 January 2009

•electronic logbooks from 1 January 2010 for vessels over 24 metres overall length

•electronic logbooks from 1 January 2011 for vessel over 15 metres overall length that operate outside of Community waters

•electronic logbooks from 1 July 2011 for vessels over 15 metres overall length

•there will still need to be paper logbook records kept for vessels 15 metres or less in length and paper sales notes for companies with a turnover of less then €400,000 a year.

While the primary driver is compliance with EU and UK regulations, successful implementation will result in:

•real time catch information from electronic logbooks, leading to improved data quality as well as onward marketing of their catch (traceability)

•access to own electronic records on catch as well as fish sold

•availability of cumulative data for the UK fishing industry

•reductions in fishing industry effort in the regulatory burden

•more effective monitoring, control and surveillance operations at sea and on land as a result of being able to cross check landing declarations and sales notes more quickly and comprehensively to establish the origin of fish

•improved data sharing between EU member states and third countries

•better data set of fishing activity maintained by EU member states and third countries

•online registration of buyers and sellers

•improved data quality and more timely monitoring of quotas as a consequence of reduction of the current requirement for considerable re-entry of data by the UK fisheries administrations.