Libby Woodhatch is the executive chair of London, U.K.-based marine ingredient certification body MarinTrust.
The latest FAIRR Seafood Traceability Phase 2 Progress Report underscores a reality the sector can no longer afford to ignore: Full chain, interoperable traceability is foundational to responsible seafood production. As investors, regulators, and supply chain partners rightly intensify scrutiny, the industry faces mounting pressure to demonstrate compliance, credibility, and clarity in its sourcing practices.
One of the most compelling reasons for urgent action is the persistent and well-documented challenge of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing as well as fraud, on which a recent Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report has raised awareness. FAIRR highlights that seafood remains “one of the most illegally produced commodities” globally, a risk exacerbated by fragmented, paper-based, and opaque supply chains that make verification difficult and loopholes easy to exploit. For companies and investors alike, the consequences of weak traceability range from reputational damage to regulatory exposure and operational inefficiency.
In the marine ingredient sector, this challenge is paired with an enormous opportunity, particularly in the growing utilization of byproducts. Marine ingredients are an indispensable component of low-carbon and nutrition-dense aquafeeds; they are becoming increasingly circular, with annual growth of byproduct use surpassing the combined production growth of all novel feed ingredients.
MarinTrust’s own data demonstrates the sector’s scale: Among the 730 byproducts assessed under our program, just nine species account for 50 percent of the material. This is an illustration of both concentration risk and efficiency potential in current supply chains. As demand rises for lower impact, responsibly sourced inputs, traceability becomes not only a compliance tool but also a mechanism for unlocking the real value of these resources.
MarinTrust, operating Version 3 of its Factory Standard, as well as its Chain of Custody Standard, offers insights into how traceability can be operationalized at scale.
MarinTrust was both a founding member and an early adopter of the Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST) guidelines in 2022. The MarinTrust program places strong emphasis on traceability, and the alignment with GDST has helped demonstrate that integrating interoperable, traceability across the different actors of the marine ingredient supply chain is not only feasible but beneficial for seafood businesses working across diverse geographies and using a variety of fish species as raw materials.
The MarinTrust V3 standard focuses on responsible sourcing, production, and traceability. The Chain of Custody Standard ensures that products originate from certified factories using approved raw materials sourced from responsibly managed fisheries ensuring they are manufactured and delivered as safe and pure. Certified products must be kept fully separated and traceable from start to finish within the supply chain. If ownership is passed to a trader, that trader must also be Chain of Custody-certified to maintain product integrity and an unbroken chain of custody.
Still, industry-wide progress remains uneven. In the context of advancing circularity, improvements are needed. Traceability is what allows the industry to validate the origin, quality, and legality of byproducts, channel them into higher-value uses, and build confidence among downstream users who increasingly demand verifiable sustainability claims.
The FAIRR report reinforces what forward looking actors have already recognized: Interoperable traceability is no longer a technical addon but a strategic imperative. MarinTrust’s experience shows that aligning with global standards such as GDST and embedding strong traceability requirements within certification systems can move the sector to the place where it aspires to be: a key component of responsible global food production systems.
