Philippine supdates seafood export rules

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December 6, 2025 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — The government is tightening its seafood export documentation process as it prepares for tougher European Union (EU) rules aimed at keeping illegally caught fish out of the bloc’s market starting next year.

Under Fisheries Office Order 596, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) amended several annexes of its catch certification system to align with new EU regulations.

The changes affect catch certificates, processing statements and non-processing or non-manipulation documents required for EU-bound shipments.

“Illegal, unregulated and unreported Fishing Regulation established a catch certification scheme to ensure that fishery products stemming from IUU fishing do not reach the EU market,” the revised order read.

The amended rules also expanded traceability requirements across the entire supply chain, from fishing operations and transshipment to storage and final export.

Philippine exporters who fail to comply risk shipment delays, rejections at EU ports or possible trade sanctions.

Under the updated catch certificate rules, only BFAR is allowed to assign document numbers and validate export forms.

Certificates must now carry expanded vessel identification data including international maritime organization numbers for internationally trading vessels, precise fishing areas and dates and references to applicable conservation and management measures.

Product documentation must also include species names, scientific names and six-digit harmonized system tariff codes along with weights that are verified by BFAR personnel at landing.

Separate certifications are required when catches are transshipped at sea or unloaded in foreign ports.

For processed products such as canned tuna and other value-added seafood, local exporters must now submit more detailed processing statements.

These require companies to account for total landed weight, the portion of the catch that is processed and the gross weight of finished products derived from each shipment.

Fishery products that pass through cold storage abroad but are exported without further processing must be covered by non-processing or non-manipulation documents.

These filings require exporters to disclose storage facility details, net weights upon entry and exit and species and product codes, all subject to BFAR validation.

The new requirements raise the stakes for exporters and processors that rely on the EU as a major destination for Philippine tuna, sardines and other seafood products as companies face higher compliance costs and greater exposure to shipment delays if regulatory backlogs develop.

The BFAR said all central and regional offices have been directed to ensure full dissemination and enforcement of the revised documentation system.

The revised templates and instructions take effect on Jan. 10 next year, giving exporters and processors more than a year to adjust their systems before the stricter EU inspections begin.

According to the European Commission, bilateral trade in goods between the Philippines and the bloc amounted to €16.8 billion (P1.067 trillion) in 2024, making it one of the country’s largest export markets.