The Expanding Role of Traceability in Seafood: Tools and Key Initiatives

The role of smart technology, managerial initiatives and human factors on sustainable manufacturing: a case study of Indonesian oil and gas workers

This study aims to analyse and determine the effect of Big Data, the Internet of Things (IoT), and physical-cyber system variables on human factors in refinery industry operators and the influence of human factors and managerial initiatives on sustainable manufacturing. The method used in this study is a quantitative method using partial least square-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The respondents in this study were workers of Indonesia's upstream oil and gas sector. The results of this study indicate that Big Data, IoT, and Physical Cyber Systems (PCS) have a positive and significant effect on the human factor. In addition, there is a significant relationship between human factors and sustainable manufacturing. Furthermore, it is also found that there is a relationship between managerial initiatives and sustainable manufacturing. However, the managerial initiative cannot moderate the human factor and sustainable manufacturing.

Anticounterfeiting and Fraud Mitigation Solutions for High-value Food Products

Globalization and the increasing complexity of supply chains have allowed food fraud to expand to a great extent. Some of the most serious effects of these deceitful activities are damage to a brand's reputation and trust, economic losses, and public health risks. The usual victims of food fraud are dairy, meat, fish, and seafood products, as well as fats/oils and alcoholic drinks. The purpose of this review paper is to present an updated analysis of the currently available anticounterfeit technologies and their application to the four most fraud-affected food supply chains. An assessment that was conducted to determine when the adoption of a combination of technologies could enhance food safety and brand protection is also provided. The obtained results indicate that electronic and data-driven technologies (RFID devices and digital traceability systems) are still in their infancy in the food sectors that are subjected the most to fraudulent activities. Research is necessary to develop innovative digital and physical technologies to "outsmart" such fraudsters and to prevent their illicit actions in the food sector.

Blockchain based transparent and reliable framework for wheat crop supply chain

The wheat crop that fulfills 35% of human food demand is facing several problems due to a lack of transparency, security, reliability, and traceability in the existing agriculture supply chain. Many systems have been developed for the agriculture supply chain to overcome such issues, however, monopolistic centralized control is the biggest hurdle to realizing the use of such systems. It has eventually gained consumers' trust in branded products and rejected other products due to the lack of traceable supply chain information. This study proposes a blockchain-based framework for supply chain traceability which provides trustable, transparent, secure, and reliable services for the wheat crop. A crypto token called wheat coin (WC) has been introduced to keep track of transactions among the stakeholders of the wheat supply chain. Moreover, an initial coin offering (ICO) of WC, crypto wallets, and an economic model are proposed. Furthermore, a smart contract-based transaction system has been devised for the transparency of wheat crop transactions and conversion of WC to fiat and vice versa. We have developed the interplanetary file system (IPFS) to improve data availability, security, and transparency which stores encrypted private data of farmers, businesses, and merchants. Lastly, the results of the experiments show that the proposed framework shows better performance as compared to previous crop supply chain solutions in terms of latency to add-blocks, per-minute transactions, average gas charge for the transaction, and transaction verification time. Performance analysis with Bitcoin and Ethereum shows the superior performance of the proposed system.

Building a Teleost Fish Traceability Program Based on Genetic Data from Pacific Panama Fish Markets

Fish tissue samples from 203 adult individuals were collected in the main ports and markets of the Pacific coast of Panama. Molecular identification based on a cytochrome oxidase I gene segment of all species was verified by GENBANK reference sequences. A total of 34 species from 14 families (Ariidae, Caranjidae, Centropomidae, Gerreidae, Haemulidae, Lobotidae, Lutjanidae, Malacanthidae, Mugilidae, Scianidae, Scombridae, Serranidae, Sphyraenidae, Stromateidae) were identified at the species level from 164 sequences. Additionally, three Caribbean species were molecularly identified among the analyzed samples (Mycteroperca xenarcha, Paralonchurus brasilensis and Lobotes surinamensis). Species diversity was slightly higher in the Gulf of Panama than in the Gulf of Chiriquí. For species with five or more individual sequences, genetic diversity and genetic connectivity parameters such as total number of haplotypes (H), haplotype diversity (Hd), and nucleotide diversity (π) were calculated. Overall, pelagic-migratory species showed higher values of genetic diversity than coastal and estuarine species with some exceptions. Connectivity between Gulf areas was compared using values of genetic distances and genetic differentiation (Fst). The high level of connectivity observed between the Gulf of Chiriqui and the Gulf of Montijo indicates the existence of a single stock in that area for the following species: Scomberomorus sierra, Caranx caninus and Lutjanus guttatus. The demographic history of the most common species was examined using Tajima's D values, suggesting population expansion for two snapper species, L. peru and L. argentiventris, having significant and higher values. Another important contribution from this research was the production of primers and dual-labeled probes for environmental DNA detection using qPCR for the five most abundant species (spotted rose snapper, yellow snapper, green jack, Pacific crevalle jack and the Pacific sierra fish). These markers represent a new set of tools for environmental DNA (eDNA) detection and molecular traceability of three commercially important fish species along the supply chain including landing sites and markets of the main fishery areas.

A network analysis of global cephalopod trade

The global trade in cephalopods is a multi-billion dollar business involving the fishing and production of more than ten commercially valuable species. It also contributes, in whole or in part, to the subsistence and economic livelihoods of thousands of coastal communities around the world. The importance of cephalopods as a major cultural, social, economic, and ecological resource has been widely recognised, but research efforts to describe the extent and scope of the global cephalopod trade are limited. So far, there are no specific regulatory and monitoring systems in place to analyse the traceability of the global trade in cephalopods at the international level. To understand who are the main global players in cephalopod seafood markets, this paper provides, for the first time, a global overview of the legal trade in cephalopods. Twenty years of records compiled in the UN COMTRADE database were analysed. The database contained 115,108 records for squid and cuttlefish and 71,659 records for octopus, including commodity flows between traders (territories or countries) weighted by monetary value (USD) and volume (kg). A theoretical network analysis was used to identify the emergent properties of this large trade network by analysing centrality measures that revealed key insights into the role of traders. The results illustrate that three countries (China, Spain, and Japan) led the majority of global market movements between 2000 and 2019. Based on volume and value, as well as the number of transactions, 11 groups of traders were identified. The leading cluster consisted of only eight traders, who dominated the cephalopod market in Asia (China, India, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam), Europe (the Netherlands, and Spain), and the USA. This paper identifies the countries and territories that acted as major importers or exporters, the best-connected traders, the hubs or accumulators, the modulators, the main flow routes, and the weak points of the global cephalopod trade network over the last 20 years. This knowledge of the network is crucial to move towards an environmentally sustainable, transparent, and food-secure global cephalopod trade.

The Effect of Traceability System and Managerial Initiative on Indonesian Food Cold Chain Performance: A Covid-19 Pandemic Perspective

This study aims to determine the effect of managerial initiatives on the adoption of traceability systems on food cold chain performance during the Covid-19 pandemic. Managerial initiatives are allegedly needed to improve the company's performance because it improves the traceability system in the supply chain. In addition, the effect of the traceability system adoption on the Indonesian food cold-chain performance during the Covid-19 pandemic is also discussed in this study. This study uses a quantitative approach and purposive sampling with a questionnaire research instrument obtained 250 statements of Indonesian consumers and retail employees. Partial least squares for structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) were used to analyze latent variables' relationships. This study indicates that the traceability system has a significant effect on the performance of the food cold-chain during the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, the adoption of electronic data exchange (EDI), radio frequency identification (RFID), and blockchain significantly impacted traceability systems during the Covid-19 pandemic. The managerial application of the initiative showed a positive and significant impact on the performance of the food cold-chain during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the managerial initiative is not able to moderate the adoption of the traceability system.

Over 90 endangered fish and invertebrates are caught in industrial fisheries

Industrial-scale harvest of species at risk of extinction is controversial and usually highly regulated on land and for charismatic marine animals (e.g. whales). In contrast, threatened marine fish species can be legally caught in industrial fisheries. To determine the magnitude and extent of this problem, we analyze global fisheries catch and import data and find reported catch records of 91 globally threatened species. Thirteen of the species are traded internationally and predominantly consumed in European nations. Targeted industrial fishing for 73 of the threatened species accounts for nearly all (99%) of the threatened species catch volume and value. Our results are a conservative estimate of threatened species catch and trade because we only consider species-level data, excluding group records such as 'sharks and rays.' Given the development of new fisheries monitoring technologies and the current push for stronger international mechanisms for biodiversity management, industrial fishing of threatened fish and invertebrates should no longer be neglected in conservation and sustainability commitments.

Comparing importance and confidence for production and source attributes of seafood among residents and tourists in South Carolina and Florida coastal communities

The call for environmentally sustainable seafood consumption is growing. Seafood-related behavior is often an outcome of assessing attributes of the product (e.g., taste, freshness, source). To shift consumer (i.e., tourists and residents) preferences toward environmentally sustainable products, many coastal communities of the United States (U.S.) promote production (i.e., Wild-caught, Environmentally sustainable) and source (i.e., Harvested locally, Safe from pollutants) attributes of local seafood. Even if consumers believe these production and source attributes are important, they may lack confidence in their ability to distinguish them when purchasing seafood. Expansion of sustainable coastal mariculture is recommended for food security and enhancing economic resilience of local commercial fisheries, but this newer production attribute (i.e., Farmed in marine waters) adds more complexity to consumer decision-making. Research examining the difference between importance and confidence for seafood attributes is limited. This study surveyed tourists and residents in South Carolina and Florida (U.S.) coastal communities where varying levels of tourism and commercial seafood harvest, including marine farming of shellfish, were occurring. The research measured these consumers' level of importance and confidence for production and source attributes when purchasing seafood in the coastal community. Residents rated importance and confidence higher than tourists for some attributes, but there was no difference between states for tourist or resident subgroups. Both tourists and residents rated confidence lower than importance for all attributes. An Importance-Confidence Analysis (ICA), adapted from Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA), identified attributes needing enhanced marketing and consumer education. The ICA indicated that Environmentally sustainable and Safe from pollutants were high priorities for improving confidence. The low priority rating for Farmed in marine waters was deemed misleading because improved outreach for this attribute could reduce barriers to acceptance and improve recognition.

Toward Sustainability of South African Small-Scale Fisheries Leveraging ICT Transformation Pathways

Though Internet and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have been employed in small-scale fisheries (SSFs) globally, they are seldom systematically explored for the ways in which they facilitate equality, democracy and sustainability. Our study explored how ICTs in South African small-scale fisheries are leveraged towards value chain upgrading, collective action and institutional sustainability—key issues that influence small-scale fishery contributions to marine resource sustainability. We held a participatory workshop as part of ongoing research in the town of Lambert’s Bay, South Africa, in collaboration with small-scale fishers and the Abalobi ICT project. We mapped fisher value chain challenges and explored the role of ICT-driven transformation pathways, adopting Wright’s ‘Real Utopian’ framework as the lens through which to explore equality, democracy and institutional sustainability. We found Abalobi’s ICT platform had the potential to facilitate deeper meanings of democracy that incorporate socio-economic reform, collective action and institutional sustainability in South Africa’s small-scale fisheries. Where fishers are not engaged beyond passive generators of data, this had the potential to undermine the goals of increasing power parity between small-scale fisheries and other stakeholders.

Rollout Strategy to Implement Interoperable Traceability in the Seafood Industry

Verifying the accuracy and rigor of data exchanged within and between businesses for the purposes of traceability rests on the existence of effective and efficient interoperable information systems that meet users' needs. Interoperability, particularly given the complexities intrinsic to the seafood industry, requires that the systems used by businesses operating along the supply chain share a common technology architecture that is robust, resilient, and evolves as industry needs change. Technology architectures are developed through engaging industry stakeholders in understanding why an architecture is required, the benefits provided to the industry and individual businesses and supply chains, and how the architecture will translate into practical results. This article begins by reiterating the benefits that the global seafood industry can capture by implementing interoperable chain-length traceability and the reason for basing the architecture on a peer-to-peer networked database concept versus more traditional centralized or linear approaches. A summary of capabilities that already exist within the seafood industry that the proposed architecture uses is discussed; and a strategy for implementing the architecture is presented. The 6-step strategy is presented in the form of a critical path.