Follow the Fish: Strengthening Seafood Traceability to Combat IUU Fishing

Seafood Traceability: The Challenge of Seafood Supply Chain Transparency

For some time, I’ve been analyzing how seafood companies can secure their products by preventing illegal inputs into the supply chain. To enhance traceability, a company can integrate key control points into its in-house tracking system. A seafood business, regardless of size, can collect registration numbers and facility ownership details for the sources of its products. Additionally, processors and exporters can track facility identifiers, brokers, cold storage, and transportation back to fishing vessels. When companies implement such measures, traceability improves, reducing the risks of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. However, despite the apparent benefits, many seafood companies hesitate to initiate traceability systems—why?

Seafood Traceability: The Gaps in Seafood Supply Chains

One fish stick may involve dozens of handlers across different regions and languages. Many discussions about IUU fishing suggest that piracy is the primary driver of illegal seafood trade. In reality, seafood supply chains rely on a vast network of people collaborating to deliver safe, affordable food. This includes family-run businesses, which make up a significant portion of the global seafood workforce. However, these chains remain fragmented, often held together by brokers and refrigerated transport like reefers and trucks.

Major bottlenecks allow IUU fish to enter the market. While pirate fishing exists, the larger issue lies in weak customs coding systems. Many seafood information systems fail to capture essential origin data at key verification points. Without proper oversight, these gaps enable underreported or off-grid catches, causing financial losses and harming island economies reliant on sustainable fishing. Moreover, misreported data prevents accurate fish stock management, further endangering marine resources.

Following the Fish for Greater Traceability

Although traceability has become a sustainability buzzword, meaningful solutions require seamless data integration and oversight. Effective verification depends on comparing reported catch volumes from fleets to flag states and from flag states to Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs). Unfortunately, this process often involves under- or over-reporting by nations. Some vessels do not record their landings or discard rates, while certain countries allow reflagging, making it unclear where catches should be reported.

For instance, the Marshall Islands reported zero yellowfin tuna catches to the Western Central Pacific Fisheries Commission in 2014. Yet, it was one of the Pacific’s largest foreign fleet hubs and the seventh-largest yellowfin exporter to the U.S. that year. Many tuna shipments from Majuro involve fleets from multiple countries (China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, USA, etc.), making traceability complex. While tracing fish backward from import statistics to catch registries is possible, it conflicts with the ideal vision of blockchain-enabled seafood transparency.

Seafood Traceability: A Bottom-Up Approach to Tackling IUU Fishing

On the International Day for the Fight Against IUU Fishing, it’s essential to highlight bottom-up solutions. Electronic monitoring initiatives from retailers and NGOs help, but they alone cannot resolve underreporting. The key lies in creating a business case for accurate reporting at the source. Some nations, like the Solomon Islands, are taking charge of their seafood exports. When foreign fleets claim they lack the capacity to track catches, local fisheries officials manually verify each fish. These efforts provide real-time data, allowing countries to negotiate better fishing rights agreements based on verified numbers.

Seafood Traceability, Empowering the Next Generation for a Sustainable Future

A promising trend is the rise of seafood businesses, particularly small, family-run enterprises—leveraging technology for traceability. In China, Han Han of China Blue, an NGO promoting sustainable fisheries, has seen young entrepreneurs develop in-house software to track catch reports. Unlike top-down government efforts, these solutions succeed because they build trust directly with fishers.

This model is expanding globally. On India’s west coast, surimi processor Arjun Gadre of Gadre Exports collaborates with scientists to track threadfin bream catches. Meanwhile, in the Yucatán, crab processor Rudy Abad integrates catch reporting into his company’s financial system. Such initiatives prove that innovative, community-driven approaches can bridge the gaps in seafood traceability.

Given that 65-70% of global seafood exports come from developing countries, the role of grassroots ingenuity cannot be overlooked. The next generation of fishers and processors is using smartphones to document catches, take geotagged photos, and share first-hand stories. This shift signals that the most effective way to end IUU fishing may not be top-down regulations but rather innovative solutions from those closest to the resource. By recognizing fish as both natural capital and human capital, traceability becomes more than a compliance issue—it becomes an opportunity to ensure a more sustainable seafood future.

Katrina Nakamura, PhD, is the founder of Sustainability Incubator, which provides technical services for sustainable seafood worldwide.