UK to Mandate Cameras and GPS on Distant-Water Trawlers from November 2028, Implementing Remote Electronic Monitoring

The UK government announced on 13 November 2026 that it will require large distant-water trawlers operating in waters under its jurisdiction to be fitted with cameras, sensors and GPS transmitters as part of the Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) programme, with the new rules taking effect in November 2028.

The scope covers large distant-water trawlers flying any flag operating in UK waters, as well as English-registered large distant-water trawlers operating in any waters worldwide. UK Food, Fisheries and Farming Minister Stephen Morgan said in a statement that this is an important step for ocean protection, that most vessels in the fleet are already equipped with the relevant devices, and that the new rules will for the first time enable comprehensive monitoring of fishing activity at sea, create a level playing field for the industry, and help scientists obtain the evidence needed to support fish stock and marine wildlife conservation.

The UK government said most distant-water trawlers already have most of the equipment required under the new rules, and that the rules will bring the remaining large distant-water trawlers up to the same standard.

According to the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the government worked with voluntarily participating distant-water trawlers to test the REM programme and inform policy development. The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), an executive agency of Defra, conducted multi-year research and evidence gathering and ran an early adopter programme demonstrating how the technology can support sustainable fisheries management. Thomas Catchpole, Head of Applied Fisheries Research at Cefas, said in a statement that the research helped understand what is needed for REM to work well in practice—from collecting reliable information at sea to turning data into scientific evidence—providing a firmer basis for deciding how REM should support fisheries management.

Phil Haslam, Managing Director of the North Atlantic Fishing Company (NAFC), which took part in an 18-month early adopter programme, said after the programme ended that responsible and sustainable fishing is at the core of NAFC's business and that participating in the REM trial gave it an opportunity to prove that its words match its actions; the company is confident in its fishing practices and happy to give outsiders a better understanding of an operation that is often misunderstood and criticised. He said the trial was a key learning experience that helped the company prepare to install REM for operations in Scottish waters; the trial also showed that installing cameras is the easy part, and the focus now needs to be on organising, analysing and extracting value from the large volume of data that will be generated.

The UK announcement follows months after the Scottish government published REM requirements for distant-water vessels of 12 metres and over. According to a policy briefing by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), the rules took effect in March 2026 and apply to all 22 vessels in the Scottish distant-water fleet as well as 155 non-Scottish vessels known to operate in Scottish waters.

According to EJF, REM programmes are essential for enforcing EU and UK rules banning the discarding of fish at sea to free up space for higher-value catch. The NGO says distant-water freezer trawlers present a high risk of violating these rules, and whether vessels comply is almost impossible to observe. EJF has called for mandatory REM on all relevant distant-water vessels operating in UK or EU waters. Steve Trent, EJF CEO and founder, said earlier this year that leaving such large trawlers unmonitored opens the door to serious unreported fishing, with potentially devastating consequences for marine life and coastal fishing communities; the EU must follow suit and ensure all vessels in EU waters shared with the UK meet the same standard, which would result in fairer competition, stronger protection for fish stocks and a sustainable future for fisheries.