NEW BLOCKCHAIN PROJECT HAS POTENTIAL TO REVOLUTIONISE SEAFOOD INDUSTRY

In a bold move to help stop human rights abuses and illegal fishing in the Pacific tuna fishing industry, today the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Sea Quest Fiji Ltd, and ConsenSys announced a transparency and traceability project using advanced blockchain technology.

Tracking fish from vessel to the supermarket, the Blockchain Supply Chain Traceably Project is using digital technology in the fresh and frozen tuna sector of the Western and Central Pacific region to strengthen supply chain management. The project represents the first of its kind in a Pacific Island nation – Fiji.

“Blockchain technology has the potential to revolutionise the seafood industry through a transparent, decentralized, efficient, and secure tool,” said Bubba Cook, WWF’s Western and Central Pacific Tuna Programme Manager.

Blockchain is a continuously expanding list of electronic records, called blocks, providing a way to record and transfer data that is transparent, traceable, easily auditable, and resistant to tampering or outages. This verifiable, digital record of information is accessible to everyone and includes details where and when the fish was caught and processed.

Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing remains a persistent problem in the Pacific region.

“Consumers are increasingly calling for fully-traceable seafood that does not come from illegal fisheries or those that engage in human rights abuses, and wholesale and retail seafood buyers are asking for improvements in transparency and traceability to reduce the risk of their brands being associated with such activities,” Mr Cook said.

“Layered into the real-time information coming from other electronic technology platforms, blockchains can provide unprecedented supply chain transparency and traceability that retailers and consumers want.”

The buying and selling of Pacific tuna is currently either tracked by paper records, or not at all. Now fishermen can register their catch on the blockchain through radio-frequency identification (RFID) e-tagging and scanning fish. At every point, from boat, to truck, to processing plant, the supply chain journey of the fish is permanently documented and verifiable.

ConsenSys, one of the leaders in blockchain development, invited WWF and Sea Quest to participate in a beta access programme designed to test and implement the ConsenSys Viant blockchain traceability tool. The next step is to welcome seafood retailers, interested in sourcing ethically and sustainably-caught fish, to engage with the programme.

“We are thrilled to be working with WWF and Sea Quest Fiji on this project, as ConsenSys has a keen interest in supporting applications of blockchain that offer an opportunity for social impact and do good in the world,” said Tyler Muhlvihill, the Enterprise Manager for ConsenSys.

Brett “Blu” Haywood, the CEO of Sea Quest Fiji, welcomes the blockchain technology. “We have been implementing electronic tools across our fleet, including electronic logbooks and a video monitoring,” he said. “Blockchain is the next natural step in the evolution of supply chain management that could help us not only meet our sustainability goals, but also secure solid economic benefits for our business.”

The project receives technical support from TraSeable Solutions, a new technology company based in Fiji. CEO of TraSeable Ken Katafono said: “I am very excited to be part of this project, which I am sure will lead the transformation of seafood supply chain traceability in the Pacific and potentially, around the world.” Mr Katafono led the design of a system that integrates RFID data capture and a functional app for data entry into the blockchain that will allow the incorporation of information at several points of the supply chain to provide a complete transparent and traceable supply chain solution.