A pilot project involving Scottish pelagic vessels, processors, and end buyers has successfully delivered full supply chain traceability for the wild catch of mackerel and herring.
The “Catch to Batch” project was developed to address growing market expectations around provenance, sustainability, and transparency – factors that can directly affect access and pricing in global seafood markets.
Collaborators on the pilot included the pelagic vessels Altaire and Artemis; Northbay Pelagic’s processing factory in Peterhead, U.K.; the Interfish Producer Organization; retailer Sainsbury’s; the Scottish Pelagic Fishermen’s Association (SPFA); software provider Verifact; Shetland University of the Highlands and Islands; the U.K. government’s Center for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science (Cefas); and the Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST).
Through the partnership, the pilot project connected data that vessels at sea collected, such as biological samples from each haul and their subsequent mandatory catch reports, with batch-level production data compiled by onshore processors that linked the information to existing quality and production data via a unique batch code for each landing. This process created a continuous digital record from catch to distribution.
The system did not require vessels or processors to generate entirely new datasets; instead, it linked information already being collected through the Scottish Pelagic Industry Science Data Collection Program (SPISDCP) with factory quality assurance and batch coding systems.
“From the fishermen’s perspective, Catch to Batch was designed to differentiate their businesses through traceability of catches and demonstration of sustainability credentials through their commitment to developing high-quality data for improving science on pelagic fish,” SPFA Chief Scientific Officer Steven Mackinson said.
The project also resulted in the creation of an online platform that captures haul data alongside detailed tank plans, showing how different catches are stored in refrigerated seawater tanks. This enabled vessels to send a new pre-landing report to factories ahead of arrival, while processors then returned a post-landing catch quality report linked back to individual hauls.
According to Mackinson, this feedback loop has the potential to influence operational decisions over time.
“We envisage the pre-landing and post-landing reports will support efficient processing and stimulate understanding on how vessels might adjust operational practices to enhance the quality and value of the catch,” he said, adding that it has the potential to also give insights into how such changes can deliver improvements in catch welfare.
Buyers have responded positively to the initiative, with Sainsbury’s Head of Fisheries and Aquaculture David Parker hailing it as “one of the best traceability regimes I have seen in fisheries to date.”
Interfish’s Andrew Pillar also welcomed it, noting that the system reduces the administrative burden associated with tracing back a product’s origin while also giving Scottish pelagic products a stronger sustainability narrative in competitive markets.
“Gaining advantage in competition in global markets means looking for ways to stand out and demonstrate to consumers that the products they are buying are caught by fishermen who care about the quality of their catch and the sustainability of their industry,” Mackinson said. “Commitment to engage in projects like Catch to Batch and other programs to improve scientific data necessary to improve assessment and management show that Scottish pelagic fishermen and processors are taking those steps to stand out.”
Beyond the commercial benefits, the project helped generate a growing scientific dataset held by Cefas, with potential value for stock assessment and ecosystem research.
“Through ongoing support of the pelagic sector, that knowledge and data will continue to grow, yielding new scientific insights directly relevant in pelagic stock assessment and research on changes in marine ecosystems,” Mackinson said.
Mackinson told SeafoodSource that the plan now is to scale up to extend the benefits to all Scottish pelagic processors and vessels involved in the SPISDCP.
“Aware of increasing market pressures to demonstrate provenance and sustainability, the Scottish pelagic sector is in prime position to embrace the market opportunities that advances in digital traceability may present,” he said.
Mackinson said he expects the main challenges in scaling up will center on the finer details of formatting and mapping the fleet and processing links for each factory in a way that is standardized, consistent, and easily maintained.
“We know it’s possible, so it’s all about how to organize existing data-recording processes with the least disruption and maximum value,” he said. “All of the pelagic processors have previously expressed their keenness for the work, and now we have proof-of-concept; we are ready to go.”
