Summary

• Large pelagic fishing vessels operating in English waters will be required to use Remote Electronic Monitoring from November 2028, subject to parliamentary timings.
• Cameras, sensors and GPS will record fishing activity, catches and accidental interactions with marine wildlife.
• The requirement follows a voluntary trial and extends monitoring equipment already used by much of the fleet.

England will require large pelagic fishing vessels to carry cameras and sensors that record fishing activity, extending the use of digital monitoring technology to improve evidence about catches and the accidental capture of marine wildlife.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) announced on 9 November that Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) will become mandatory for the relevant fleet from November 2028, subject to parliamentary timings.

The equipment combines onboard cameras, sensors and GPS to create a record of activity at sea. This can help establish where vessels are fishing, what they catch and whether marine mammals, seabirds or sharks are unintentionally caught during operations.

The requirement targets large pelagic trawlers, which catch shoaling fish such as mackerel and herring. Many vessels in the sector already operate REM systems, with the proposed legal requirement intended to bring the remainder of the fleet under consistent monitoring arrangements.

Digital records extend fisheries oversight

Remote Electronic Monitoring provides information that would otherwise depend on combinations of vessel records, position tracking, inspections, onboard observers and reports submitted by operators.

Unlike conventional vessel tracking, which principally records location and movement, REM can associate position information with footage and sensor data collected during fishing operations. This creates additional evidence about activity taking place aboard a vessel at a particular time.

Such records may support efforts to understand bycatch, where animals other than the intended target species are captured during fishing. Better information about these events can contribute to scientific assessment and enforcement, particularly where previous reporting has provided an incomplete picture of activity at sea.

Defra says the information will help scientists improve their understanding of fish stocks and allow regulators to identify harmful practices or breaches of the rules more effectively.

The evidence may also support more targeted regulatory interventions. Accurate records can help authorities distinguish between fishing practices and operating conditions, rather than relying entirely on assumptions derived from the position or declared activity of a vessel.

Fisheries minister Stephen Morgan said the decision would extend a monitoring practice already adopted by most of the affected fleet. The government is seeking greater consistency between operators while strengthening the information available to fisheries managers.

The requirement follows a voluntary trial in which Defra worked with a pelagic trawler to test REM under practical operating conditions. Lessons from that project have informed the proposed policy, although the government has not published a detailed technical specification alongside the announcement.

Evidence depends on reliable monitoring systems

Installing cameras and sensors is only one part of a monitoring programme. Authorities must also determine how the information collected should be stored, reviewed and interpreted, particularly where long fishing trips generate substantial quantities of footage.

The usefulness of video evidence depends on recording quality, suitable camera positioning and the ability to associate images with sensor readings and positional information. Equipment faults, poor visibility and obstructed cameras may limit what can be established from individual recordings.

Monitoring systems also require dependable processes for identifying when equipment is not functioning correctly. Without appropriate maintenance and verification arrangements, the quality of the resulting evidence may differ between vessels.

The announcement does not specify whether automated video analysis or artificial intelligence will form part of the mandatory arrangements. REM should therefore be distinguished from systems that use machine learning to identify particular species or classify events without continuous human review.

Where recordings are used for compliance decisions, authorities must determine how evidence is examined and how disputed interpretations are handled. A video may show the activity undertaken aboard a vessel, but an assessment of whether that activity breaches a rule can require additional context.

The handling of footage containing crew members also requires appropriate information governance arrangements. Detailed requirements for access, storage, retention and permitted uses will need to be established within the implementation framework.

Technical consistency will affect implementation

The English decision forms part of a wider move towards electronic monitoring in UK fisheries, although the four nations have developed different requirements and implementation timetables.

Scotland has introduced mandatory REM for specified pelagic and scallop fishing activities, while other administrations are developing monitoring approaches appropriate to their respective fleets and regulatory responsibilities.

The UK government’s March 2026 report on the Joint Fisheries Statement described ongoing work to improve coordination between fisheries authorities and develop more interoperable monitoring arrangements.

Compatibility is relevant where vessels operate across different national waters. Differences in equipment specifications, data formats or reporting requirements could create additional administrative and technical costs, even where systems perform similar monitoring functions.

For operators without suitable equipment, the period before November 2028 provides an opportunity to procure, install and test monitoring systems. The associated costs will depend on the final technical requirements, the condition of existing onboard equipment and any arrangements established for handling recorded information.

Defra has not included a detailed per-vessel cost estimate or new funding arrangement in its announcement. Those details would influence the practical impact on operators that have not already adopted REM.

The government expects the new requirement to improve the evidence available for fisheries management and strengthen consistency across the affected fleet. Whether those objectives are achieved will depend on the quality of the recordings, the effectiveness of reviewing arrangements and how the information is used in scientific and regulatory decisions.

Subject to the parliamentary timetable, REM will become a legal requirement for large pelagic fishing vessels operating in English waters from November 2028, turning an existing industry practice into a more consistent monitoring obligation.