Saving Seafood

From Sea to Table: New Bedford fishery using tech to let customers track seafood

November 20, 2019 — We’re used to tracking our packages every step of the way. Now new technology is making that possible with seafood, and a local fishing company is right on the cutting edge.

IBM recently announced it is partnering with a New Bedford fishing company to implement new technology that lets customers scan a QR code on their smartphone and track their scallops from sea to table.

IBM and Raw Seafoods Inc. say it’s a new level of collaboration connecting global sourcing partners, retailers, restaurateurs and, most importantly, customers.

Starting Tuesday, a fleet of scallopers owned by Captain Danny Eilertsen of New Bedford will begin uploading data about their catch onto the platform, allowing distributors and retailers to identify exactly when and where scallops were harvested.

The platform will also track when the boat landed port side, and when each scallop lot was hand-graded, selected, packed and shipped to its final destination.

Read the full story at WPRI

Blockchain-traced seafood: Helping historic New England fisheries thrive

October 21, 2019 — The following was released by IBM:

In Massachusetts, we like to think we know our scallops. Barely 15 miles from our headquarters at Raw Seafoods sits the town of New Bedford, where New England fishermen first began using “catboats” to dredge bay scallops in the early 1900s. By the mid 1950s, more than 85 percent of the national scallop catch came through New Bedford.

We also learned the hard way what happens when we take our precious fisheries for granted. By the 1990s, the New England scallop fisheries were all but depleted. Thanks to a series of reforms and the implementation of new technology, the industry banded together and last year’s catch in 2018 was the fifth largest ever recorded. For 18 straight years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has ranked New Bedford as the most valuable fishing port in the United States.

The unique history of our fishery has taught us that collaboration can yield dividends where competition cannot, and that the upfront investment required for game-changing innovation can often be a matter of survival. That’s why New England scallopers are now uploading information about their catch to Raw Seafoods with IBM Food Trust, a blockchain-based platform that promotes food traceability, safety, and sustainability. This information will automatically be shared with other members of the scallop supply chain, from processors and distributors to supermarkets and even restaurants.

Read the full release here