Photo by Link Bekka
The Marine Management Organisation has reverted to using sales notes for compiling official landing statistics after a quality assessment revealed significant data gaps in its catch recording system for under-10m fishing vessels. The decision follows the discovery of technical issues with the catch recording mobile application that prevented data from transferring to MMO systems throughout 2024, compromising the accuracy of published fisheries statistics.
The MMO published the outcome of its quality assessment on 9th October 2025, fulfilling a commitment made last year when the organisation voluntarily suspended the accredited official statistics designation of its Sea Fisheries Statistics publications. The investigation revealed that headline landing figures for under-10m vessels, including weight and value of fish landed, are not accurately represented in published statistics for 2024 onwards.
Catch Recording was introduced at the beginning of 2024 to replace data captured via sales notes, offering skippers of under-10m fishing vessels registered in England, Wales and the Isle of Man multiple routes to report data through a dedicated mobile app, web browser or by phone. The service was intended to provide a more accurate representation of catches from this sector, which forms a substantial component of the UK’s inshore fishing fleet.
Rebekah Paul, MMO’s Chief Statistician, explained: “Landing data forms an essential part of the marine and fisheries evidence base. It is key to informing activity and policy related to fisheries, including quota negotiations and management, policy development and assessing the economic contribution of the sector. Therefore, it is paramount that we ensure the data is of the highest quality and we work to the highest standards.”
She added: “Our assessment has revealed gaps in records for under-10m vessels, related to unforeseen technical challenges with the Catch Recording app. To ensure data integrity, we have decided to return to using information from Sales Notes while we work to address these issues.”
The MMO’s investigation showed evidence of missing data related to unexpected technical issues with the mobile application, where users informed the organisation that some of their data was not transferring to systems. The problems appear to be specific to the mobile app rather than an issue with the wider catch recording service, which also offers web browser and phone reporting options.
In the short term, the MMO will return to using information from sales notes to report the volume and value of landings by under-10m vessels. These records will be supplemented by activity data—such as gear used, fishing area and port of landing—where available via catch recording submissions. This hybrid approach aims to maintain data quality whilst preserving some of the enhanced detail that catch recording was designed to provide.
The data quality issues have resulted in a delay to the publication of UK Sea Fisheries Statistics 2024, now scheduled for release on 27th November 2025 rather than the original October timeline. The delayed publication will include revised data for 2024 and will be accompanied by revisions to published data for 2025, allowing sufficient time for quality assurance of the new approach.
Michael Coyle, MMO Director of Digital and Analysis, said: “We are actively working to understand the problem, and we appreciate your patience and support as we do so. We are planning a phase of user research to inform options to make improvements to this service in the future.”
He added: “Your data remains important, and it is vital that we continue to receive information to help safeguard our seas and support sustainable fishing now and for the long term. Getting good traceability right shows accountability, boosts the industry’s reputation, and opens doors to global seafood markets.”
A thorough review of the catch recording app’s functionality is now underway, with registered users being contacted with guidance on how to verify that their records are being successfully sent and what steps to take should they identify issues. The MMO has committed to conducting user research to inform improvements to the service.
The setback represents a significant challenge for UK fisheries data collection, as landing data underpins critical policy decisions including quota negotiations and management, economic assessments of the fishing sector, and the development of fisheries policy. Accurate catch data is also essential for monitoring compliance with fisheries regulations and assessing the sustainability of fish stocks.
The MMO has committed to providing further updates on progress to resolve the technical functionality issues within the catch recording app. In the meantime, catch recording remains an important tool for collecting key data from the under-10m sector, and the organisation continues to encourage fishers to submit their records through all available channels.