🐟 Blockchain for a sustainable fishing industry

1 out of every 10 people on the planet derives their income from the seafood industry.

But this industry is a mess:

• 90% of the fish population is fully used, overused, or in crisis (FAO).

• 50% of harvested fish and seafood is either lost or wasted along the supply chain (FAO).

• 20% of the global fish is “Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated” (IUU).

The problem is huge.

But what does blockchain have to do with it?

Simply put, the blockchain secures the information on a reliable and transparent database.

Great. And so what?

This technology is tamper-proof and certifies the accuracy of the data issued (only as good as the source tech).

Got it, and for example…?

On the issue of a more sustainable fishery, the blockchain authenticates where the fish is caught.

And thus verifying that it took place in a legal area + tracing all its journey to the plate of the consumer!

👉 Blockchain can help reduce lost and wasted seafood with an optimized supply chain, provide the consumer with a transparent view of the fish’s origin, and monitor illegal fishing activities.

The blockchain potential has caught the attention of the United Nations, the WWF, politics such as Sweden’s Deputy Prime Minister, and global fishing actors to enable the eradication of IUU fishing.

The purpose of The Good Block is to provide you with a lot of use cases and examples that use blockchain for a better good. So, let’s start!

🎣 One hook, one line, one fish at a time

Regarding our fishery challenges, we want to present you with Provenance.

Provenance is a UK-based start-up that worked with the International Pole and Line Association (IPLA) to pilot a public blockchain tuna-tracing system.

From the first mile in Indonesia to final consumers in the UK, blockchain is the base layer of truth across the supply chain.

To promote a more responsible way of fishing, the focus is on little boats, line fishing, and the local economy. Far away from huge trawlers with nets that destroy the seabed. So big that they could swallow a Boeing 747, and therefore bycatch non-targeted species (sharks, dolphins, endangered species...)

Therefore, Provenance helped Indonesian fishermen to authenticate their catch, by sending an SMS for each theme. This SMS created a new asset with a unique identifier, registered on the blockchain. Thus, the asset (the physical fish and its digital identifier) could be tracked throughout its supply chain.

Thanks to smart labels (NFC) and mobile, consumers can track the origin of the fish. This helps to develop their awareness to pay more for products with proven origin.

Source: “Provenance”

👉 Blockchain applications can track fish all the way from the boat to the plate, but they cannot guarantee they were caught how and where the data claims. Other technologies, such as satellite monitoring and handheld DNA sequencers, could potentially help overcome this concern.

🛥️ Track the long liners

Using machine learning, GPS, and blockchain, OpenSC has built for Austral Fisheries a tool to verify that their vessels are only fishing in legal areas.

When fishing, an RFID tag (tiny radio transponder, a radio receiver, and transmitter) is attached to each fish immediately after it is caught, and the GPS position of the vessel is associated with the fish.

When crossing an illegal fishing area, the model uses speed and sea depth data to determine if the vessel is likely to be fishing.

All of this information plus additional ones, such as the temperature of fish in storage are stored on the blockchain.

Thanks to the unique identifier associated with the fish, its journey becomes transparent.

Source: “Blockchain For Good”

We interviewed David Carter, CEO of Austral Fisheries to have his feedback:

As an underlying technological platform blockchain would allow to set up of end-to-end traceability. If it’s used by all the stakeholders of this industry. It could be a global solution to fight illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.

Furthermore, customers are asking for more and more transparency. Blockchain is a good answer to this growing demand. By providing accurate information to regulators and consumers, blockchain is the opportunity to incentivize good behavior and trust.

Please let us know if you have any subject you would like to speak about here, if you know anybody doing something great with blockchain or if you just want to say hi!

👉 [email protected] 👈