The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2020

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THE STATE OF WORLD FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE 
2020
TABLE 22
FISH SUPPLY CHAIN SUPPORTED BY BLOCKCHAIN
Fishing operation
Landing
Processor
Distributor
Customs
Retailer
Consumer
Captain/
skipper enters 
e-logbook data 
on: FAO major 
fishing area, 
species, vessel 
information 
(flag of fishing 
vessel, name 
and licence of 
fishing vessel, 
home port, 
International 
Maritime 
Organization 
[IMO] number, 
etc.), fishing 
method, 
inspection 
during fishing 
trip, etc.
Port authority 
ensures data 
uploaded on 
landing date, 
total weight of 
catch, enters or 
verifies vessel 
logbook data, 
certification
Government-
inspected 
facility receives 
data on fish, 
prepares fish 
products and 
adds QR code 
to packaging
Stores and 
transports fish 
products from 
suppliers to 
retailers, 
restaurants 
and importers
In the case of 
international 
trade, receives 
digital 
certifications
Runs 
machine-
learning-
based 
forecasting 
Scans QR code 
via app
Fish is tagged 
with radio-
frequency 
identification 
chip
Uploads data 
on storage and 
processing 
conditions, 
food safety 
compliance, lot 
number, 
certifications 
and QR codes
Uploads data 
on shipment 
and delivery 
details, 
storage and 
transport 
conditions, 
and warehouse 
and vehicle 
food safety 
and sanitation 
measures
Uploads data 
on holding 
times, testing 
results and 
customs-
clearing details
Adapts orders 
and 
promotions 
accordingly
Receives full 
information on 
the fish 
product, e.g. 
where caught, 
and where and 
how processed 
and 
transported
Assigns Universally Unique 
Identifier (UUID) based on the 
Global Record of Stocks and 
Fisheries (GRSF)
Uploads DNA 
data to prove 
authenticity
Allows entry 
for products, 
and custom 
duties are 
automatically 
dispersed by 
smart contract
Uploads data 
on delivery 
details, 
inventory 
metrics and 
sanitation 
measures
Provides app 
for end-
consumers
Uploads DNA 
data to prove 
authenticity
Sensors transmit data on time, location and condition to the blockchain
SOURCE: Inspired by a figure describing an agricultural supply chain in Tripoli and Schmidhuber, 2018.
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Distribution
Retailer
Consumer
Captain
Port authority
Processing
Customs
Physical flow
Digital flow
Blockchain
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WEST BANK AND 
GAZA STRIP
A fish farmer harvesting 
fish from one of the 
120 ponds FAO has 
sponsored in the area.
©FAO/Marco Longari

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THE STATE OF WORLD FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE 
2020
A recent FAO study (Blaha and Katafano, 
2020) has investigated blockchain applications 
in fish value chains. Tuna is by far the most 
tracked commodity using blockchain, with 
other commodities being Patagonian toothfish 
and farmed shrimp. Although building on 
different blockchain platforms, the various 
initiatives converge in their objectives of data 
sharing and securing immutability of data. 
Implementing blockchain is practical in a 
context of high-value fish commodities with 
clearly defined value chains, as well as where 
there is effective buy-in from value chain 
stakeholders. Challenges include: the reliance 
on human inputs subject to tampering, or 
on physical fish tags or labels (which could 
be lost, damaged or tampered with); the 
lack of openness to the public of private and 
consortium blockchain platforms, resulting 
in transactions that cannot be independently 
verified; and the incompletely tested solutions 
regarding real-world complex fish value 
chain scenarios where the value chain actors 
are unknown.
Tools for developing blockchain solutions 
continue to improve, and solutions for 
implementation continue to grow. However, in 
general terms, adoption, implementation and 
the scaling up of blockchain-based solutions 
are currently impeded by a number of barriers. 
The most important of these are uncertainties 
regarding forthcoming regulations, the lack 
of trust among users, and the difficulties 
in bringing existing networks together and 
achieving interoperability (Tripolo and 
Schmidhuber, 2018). In the particular case of 
traceability in fish value chains, the inherent 
challenges of the sector and the opportunities 
offered by the technology need to be taken 
into account when developing business cases, 
with careful cost–benefit analysis building 
on well-designed decision models (FAO and 
ITU, 2019; Litan, 2019) in order to determine 
whether blockchain-based solutions are the best 
choice when compared with existing electronic 
traceability systems.
In light of the above, and considering that 
blockchain is a high-technology system that 
builds on and improves existing systems, 
the lack of traceability, standardization 
and interoperability remains a major 
concern. FAO has a role to play in providing 
technical assistance to countries to develop 
and implement traceability systems, while 
recognizing the different applications of 
these systems, such as food safety, legality, 
ecolabelling, catch documentation and food 
fraud (FAO and ITU, 2019). 
Perspectives and challenges of
augmented technology
The above examples illustrate how the fishing 
industry is collecting and analysing more and 
more data, which contribute to the reality of 
the “data deluge” together with the increasing 
availability of huge public datasets, such as the 
Copernicus earth observation programme and its 
Global Ocean Observing System, or the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s 
observation systems. In the past decade, the 
world has gained access to unprecedented 
amounts of data on the fishing and aquaculture 
sector. About 400 hundred satellites observe 
the earth’s climate and environment, several 
thousand floats collect environmental data, 
and almost 50 000 fishing vessels were already 
being tracked in 2017. Moreover, the technology 
should soon be able to track fishing activity and 
(lost) fishing gear. The 100 million small-scale 
fishers who need safety at sea and fair prices will 
benefit from mobile applications for improving 
their livelihood, and by the same token be able 
to transmit data. Sensors will be everywhere – 
in vessels, on gear, on animals, in space, and 
in water.
On top of this, big-data flows, AI and 
machine learning will generate reports 
that will inform authorities and the owners 
of aquaculture farms and fishing vessels 
in real time. In aquaculture and fisheries, 
these innovations offer cheap and reliable 
alternatives for relatively simple tasks such as 
performance analysis using environmental and 
technical data, or more complex tasks such as 
identifying safe and profitable fishing routes. 
In fisheries management, the combination of 
big data and AI is likely to be a game changer. 
For example, they are anticipated to be able 
to forecast biomass or to provide real-time 
support to decision-making regarding which