How FCA Certification Works (and What “Verified” Means)

March 2, 2026 • Category: Certification • Read time: 4–6 min

Fish Certification Authority (FCA) verifies trophy fish catches through documented review standards. A verified catch is one that has been reviewed, approved, and published with a traceable certificate record.

What FCA is doing

FCA is a third-party verification layer for trophy catches. If a catch is published as certified, it passed review and has a durable public verification page tied to a unique certificate ID and QR link.

Core rule: if a field is not collected at submission time, it does not appear on the certificate.

The end-to-end flow

1. Catch a trophy fish that meets the minimum length for that species.
2. Record it properly with a visible measuring device and a clear overhead photo.
3. Submit your catch with species, length, date, location, and up to three photos.
4. Admin review approves, rejects with reason, or later revokes an approved record.
5. Certificate + verification publish with a unique ID and QR that resolves to the public record.

Submission fields

• Species (from the official FCA list)
• Length (stored canonically, displayed in cm and inches)
• Catch date
• Body of water / location
• Up to 3 photos

Approved vs revoked

“Verified” means the record exists, is publicly reachable, and currently has a valid status. If a record is later revoked, the system preserves the audit trail and updates public status accordingly.

Note: revocation is not deletion. It is a status change that preserves history for audit and fraud prevention.

Example minimum lengths

Common failure modes

• Measuring device is obscured or unreadable.
• Photo angle introduces parallax error.
• Fish is curved or misaligned to the device.
• Snout or tail tip is not visible.
• Submitted length conflicts with photo evidence.

“If we cannot audit the measurement from the photo, we cannot certify it.”

Verification record example

• Certificate ID: FCA-2026-000123
• Status: VALID
• Angler: Jane Doe
• Species: Walleye
• Length: 70 cm (27.56 in)
• Location: Lake Winnipeg, MB
• Verification: QR resolves to the record URL.

FAQ

Do I need an account to submit?

Yes. Users register and verify email before submission. This reduces spam and maintains stable ownership records.

Can I edit my submission after sending?

Minor fixes can be handled during review. Substantive changes require rejection and resubmission so the review trail remains clear.

Next step

If your catch meets minimum species length, prepare clear measurement photos and submit through FCA for review.