Trace fish catches across supply chains
Sector: Primary sector · Industry: Fisheries · Organisation: Tracy project consortium (research & industry partners, incl. authors A. Shamsuzzoha et al.) · Maturity level: Pilot
The Tracy project consortium, including researchers led by A. Shamsuzzoha, developed a distributed ledger system on the Ethereum blockchain to document fish catches and supply-chain events in a tamper-proof manner. The solution enables fisheries and downstream stakeholders to provide digital proofs of origin and verify adherence to sustainable harvesting regulations. This transparency helps counter illegal fishing practices and allows small-scale operators to meet demanding export standards.
Documentation status
- Project status: Pilot — The system was tested as a pilot and research project based on the Ethereum blockchain.
- Evidence: Evidence medium
- Editorial review: pending
Description
In the Tracy project, a consortium of industry and research partners led by researchers around A. Shamsuzzoha developed a system for seamless traceability of seafood based on the Ethereum blockchain. The solution enables actors in the fisheries sector to digitally and immutably record catch volumes, species and fishing areas. This allows downstream traders and regulatory authorities to verify without media breaks whether catches come from legal and sustainable sources.
The fishing industry worldwide faces challenges from overfishing, illegal fishing and strict international import laws demanding transparent evidence. The Tracy project consortium addresses this problem with a decentralised platform where catch information is anchored as transactions on the Ethereum blockchain. The consortium demonstrated in a pilot project how events along the supply chain from initial recording at sea to the wholesaler can be shared tamper-proof. This distributed ledger architecture eliminates reliance on central intermediaries, significantly strengthening the integrity of origin data. Smaller fisheries particularly benefit as they can prove regulatory export requirements of foreign target markets with less bureaucratic effort.
Perspectives
B2B — organisations perspective
Between fishing companies, logistics providers and processing companies, the system establishes a unified digital register for supply chain evidence. Companies can verify the authenticity of certificates and catch documents in real time, avoiding delays in freight handling.
B2C — consumers perspective
Consumers potentially gain the ability to transparently trace the origin of fish products back to the respective fishing vessel and fishing area via digital evidence.
Employees perspective
Crew members on board and at landing sites record catch data via standardized interfaces directly into the system. This reduces manual documentation effort after returning to port and minimises transmission errors in official reports.
Benefits
General
- Forgery-proof recording of origin and catch data
- Simplified proof for international export and import regulations
- Increased transparency to combat illegal and unregulated fishing
B2B — organisations
- Faster processing of freight inspections and certificate checks
- Reduced risk of reputational damage from purchasing illegal catches
B2C — consumers
- Reliable transparency about the sustainable origin of purchased fish products
Employees
- Less manual documentation effort in catch reporting
- Clearly structured data entry processes at landing sites
Challenges
General
- Limited internet connectivity at sea complicates continuous real-time synchronization
- Variable transaction costs on public blockchain networks such as Ethereum
B2B — organisations
- Need for technical integration of existing inventory management systems of all parties involved
Employees
- Training needs for onboard personnel and fishermen when switching to digital recording systems
Technology foundation
The solution uses the public Ethereum blockchain as a tamper-proof distributed ledger to decentralise verification and transparently archive transactions relating to catch volumes, times and handover points.
Implementation examples
Tracy – Blockchain-based traceability for sustainable fisheries
Lack of transparency and the spread of illegal catches make compliance with strict international import regulations difficult and burden sustainably operating fisheries.
The consortium developed an Ethereum-based ledger system to securely register fish catches from landing to distribution.
Within the Tracy project, the consortium of industry and research partners investigated and implemented a traceability solution for the fishing industry. Catch events and subsequent supply chain steps are recorded decentrally in Smart Contracts on the Ethereum blockchain. The solution particularly aims to enable artisanal fisheries to meet strict official export requirements through tamper-proof digital evidence.
Prevention of fraudulent documentation along complex supply chains and facilitation of market access for smaller enterprises.
Tags
Supply chain, Traceability, Fisheries, Ethereum, Sustainability