Alaska seafood exporters get EU paperwork reprieve through 2026

Alaska seafood bound for Europe can keep moving without interruption for another year and a half, after federal regulators secured an extension that spares exporters a looming paperwork deadline.

NOAA Fisheries announced July 9 that Alaska exporters shipping to the European Union can keep using the existing U.S. Legal Harvest Certificate through Nov. 30, 2026. A July 10 deadline would have made three new data fields mandatory on a redesigned catch certificate — fishing gear type, more detailed catch-area information, and the signature of a vessel master or license holder. All three now stay optional until the same November date. The EU has also agreed to accept U.S. catch certificates issued before Jan. 10, 2026, through January 2028.

The stakes for Alaska are large. The state accounts for roughly 60 percent of America's domestic seafood harvest, supports about 48,000 directed seafood jobs, and ties more than 140 coastal communities to the seafood economy. A disruption at European borders would land on all of it.

The pressure traces to the EU's 2023 overhaul of its rules against illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, which created a mandatory online system requiring data the current U.S. certificate doesn't capture. Alaska seafood industry representatives had formally asked EU and U.S. officials to extend the grace period beyond July 10 and make meaningful system changes so shipments could keep flowing. NOAA says it is still negotiating with the EU for longer-term flexibility that better fits business practices and confidentiality needs while meeting Europe's traceability goals.

Exporters can keep requesting the current certificate until NOAA says otherwise, and the agency warns that late requests for the new documentation can cause delays.