Fish caught by shrimp trawlers

Regulation of the State Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature amending the Fisheries Implementing Regulations in connection with the regulatory requirements of a monitoring system for shrimp fishing in coastal waters

Shrimp fishermen fishing in Dutch coastal waters, the fishing zone and the sea area up to 3 nautical miles are required to acquire a black box system by 1 April 2026 and to install it on board and have it operational by 1 September 2026. The black box system will record the location, fishing and navigation activity of a fishing vessel and share it with enforceing authorities for the purpose of effective control and enforcement.

The first and second paragraphs of Article 10c of the proposed regulation may contain technical requirements. Pursuant to these paragraphs, a black box system must be acquired and installed on board fishing vessels. A black box system must comply with a Netherlands Technical Agreement (NTA): NTA 8390:2025. This is a technical specification for a product, which qualifies as a technical regulation.
A subsidy scheme for the black box system was previously set up. This scheme has already been notified: 2025/0189/NL "Subsidy scheme for shrimp trawler black box".
The ninth paragraph of Article 10c of the proposed regulation includes a provision on mutual recognition. This provision is necessary because requiring a mandatory black box system that complies with an NTA standard may restrict the free movement of goods.