Blockchain technology may provide a solution to the creation of interoperable traceability models. Researchers are exploring how tech could be used to improve fishery supply chain traceabiltiy. Specific case studies for the application of blockchain technology in Fiji and Indonesia are listed.
Blaha, F., Katafono, K. (2020). Blockchain application in seafood value chains, FOA Fisheries and Aquaculture Circular, FIAM/C1207.
Innovation through information and communication technologies is a key enabler in transforming food systems and holds great potential to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Recent developments, such as mobile technologies, smart networks, drones, remote-sensing, distributed computing, as well as disruptive technologies, such as blockchain, the Internet of things and artificial intelligence, are serving as the premise for a “digital revolution” whereby management of resources can potentially be highly optimized, intelligent and anticipatory….This publication establishes chain traceability as the substrate over which digital solutions need to operate. It provides a comprehensive introduction to blockchain, and covers smart contracts, explores how they relate to blockchain with an example of their use in seafood value chains, and then examines major development and operational considerations for blockchain applications.
Cruz, E. F., & da Cruz, A. M. R. (2020). Using Blockchain to Implement Traceability on Fishery Value Chain. ICSOFT, 1195, 501.
Nowadays, consumers increasingly want to be informed about the products they are buying or consuming, especially when it comes to food, such as fish. Besides nutritional information, consumers want to know about the fish origin, whether it has been properly stored and transported, etc. At the same time, for public health reasons, authorities may need to know the current location of certain fish lots (which have been caught or produced in a specific location, have been stored in a certain place, have been transported by a certain truck, etc.). In other words, consumers and society in general demand transparency throughout all the value chain of fish products. In this paper, we are proposing a blockchain-based platform to allow to trace fish lots, back and forth, throughout the entire fisheries value chain. To implement the traceability platform, we define a smart contract to be used on the Ethereum blockchain.
Howson, P. (2020). Building trust and equity in marine conservation and fisheries supply chain management with blockchain, Marine Policy 115.
Abstract:
This commentary explores how blockchain technology is being leveraged to improve marine conservation and fisheries supply chain management globally. In doing so, the paper considers the technical and political challenges of building trust and equity for various stakeholders… Blockchain is being increasingly hyped for a range of services and industries, including transparent resourcing for marine conservation, reducing pollution from plastics, reducing slavery at sea, and sustainable fisheries management. Public distrust in some conservation operations, as well as in the provenance of seafood, is growing. Although some global marine conservation organisations and seafood producers have found practical solutions in disruptive technologies like blockchain, riding this wave will only prove worthwhile if coastal communities and artisanal fishers are on board and stand a chance of landing a fair share of the benefits.
Afrianto, I., Djatna, T., Arkeman, Y., Hermadi, I., & Sitanggang, I. S. (2020). Block chain technology architecture for supply chain traceability of fisheries products in Indonesia: Future challenge. J. Eng. Sci. Technol, 15, 41–49.
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to design a block chain technology architecture model with a product traceability mechanism to maintain the safety, quality, and consumer trust in the supply chain of capture fisheries products. The methods used in the research include data collection and analysis, identification of the current supply chain system and traceability mechanisms, developing a block chain-based fisheries supply chain traceability system architecture, and designing the smart contract mechanism in the developed system architecture. The results obtained from this study were a model of supply chain architecture for fisheries in Indonesia with traceability mechanisms and the use of smart contracts. The development of the results is expected to provide a comprehensive design of the application of block chain technology and its advantages. Furthermore, it also expected to increase product traceability, transparency, and trust in Indonesian fishery products. This is intended to maintain the quality and safety of perishable food products, especially capture fisheries products in Indonesia.
Dermot O’Gorman, ‘Transparency technology tracing fish from bait to plate in Fijian tuna industry‘, WWF-Australia, (Blog post, 9 July 2022) <https://wwf.org.au/blogs/transparency-technology-tracing-fish-from-bait-to-plate-in-fijian-tuna-industry/>
Excerpt:
In 2018, a WWF innovation project pilot tested the first ever use of blockchain to track the journey of Albacore tuna within the Fiji supply chain. This technology and process became OpenSC, a platform that has now been successfully implemented for verifying and tracing Patagonian toothfish caught in the Southern Ocean to market.
While the COVID-19 pandemic hit Fiji’s domestic tuna fleets hard and triggered major supply chain disruptions, Fiji’s tuna industry and fisheries department has continued to work with WWF and OpenSC to validate the use of this technology on its fishing boats. The ultimate goal is to track Fijian caught Albacore tuna to markets in the EU and US – a bait to plate traceability solution.