You need a competitive advantage. Seafood traceability software can give you one.
It also increases supply chain visibility, makes quality control easier, and reduces the risk for everyone involved — from fishers through to consumers.
That’s why we created KnowYour.Fish.
It’s a tool that builds on our Electronic Logbooks and uses the data entered into our FisheriesApp to give you, your stakeholders, and consumers the traceability information you need to see tangible benefits.
KnowYour.Fish takes the abilities of a platform like Trace Register and couples them with powerful catch reporting, fisheries management tools, and end-consumer interfaces so you can realize true efficiency — meeting multiple goals with one, simple information input.
Why is traceability software so essential for our fishing industries?
From an environmental perspective, seafood traceability is vital.
We noted above that software like KnowYour.Fish creates more visibility in the supply chain. But, what that really means is that the more prevalent these tools become, the harder it will be for bad actors in the industry to get away with dubious and illegal practices. And those practices are what put the biodiversity of our oceans and the sustainability of commercial fishing’s future in jeopardy.
Applied commercially, traceability software makes it simpler to complete government-mandated activities, like completing catch reports and export documents.
It also streamlines and automates communication throughout the supply chain — ensuring consistency and validity of information — and gives you new data about your supply chains, so you can better see pain points and act on them. Like where product is routinely held up or which supplier relationships could be reassessed.
In 2015, the Institute for Food Technologists even put together a study assessing 9 value chains, from point of catch to consumer sale, and the environmental, commercial and competitive impacts traceability programs had on them.
They found that, not only did traceability programs allow them to gain a competitive edge through increased efficiencies, they also reduce food safety risks for everyone along the supply chain.
In addition, they found that consumers desire and value transparency and are more concerned that their seafood is produced or harvested in a sustainable manner than whether it is actually identified correctly. Those are attitudes that can be capitalized on.
Traceability software makes it possible to share sustainability practices directly with consumers and influence consumer purchasing habits as a whole. Which in turn influences commercial fishing practices, so it’s a positive cycle that we want to see repeated.
Why we created KnowYour.Fish
Adding a seafood traceability component to our existing suite of digital commercial fishing tools was always a priority for Vericatch.
For all the reasons above, but also because we believe solutions for the future that don’t address the issues plaguing our industry and oceans right now are missing the point. And our whole business is built around developing solutions for the future of commercial fishing, so we should know.
For the industry to remain viable we have to implement new and better systems to protect our ocean ecology and the people who are dependent on it for their livelihoods.
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The information gained through the use of traceability software and the advantage it gives you in business also makes it easier to see how prioritizing social responsibility within the industry is a driver of success, not an inhibitor. The more tangible proof we can compile that this is the case, the easier universal buy-in for traceability software becomes.
Finally, seafood is now the most traded food commodity in the world and besides needing mechanisms to curb illegal practices, we need mechanisms that keep us all safe. Traceability software platforms, like KnowYour.Fish, can prevent food-borne illness outbreaks, make mass recalls easier, and can protect producers, fisheries, suppliers, and retailers from potentially crippling legal costs.
Why KnowYour.Fish is different from Trace Register & other offerings
KnowYour.Fish is not a stand-alone solution. It’s a part of a suite of tools that Vericatch offers, which streamline commercial fishing operations — from electronic catch reporting to trip data to orders and shipments.
So there’s no double-entry of information required or extra tools to manage. Your catch reporting becomes your traceability program, making it cost-effective to implement. You enter information once and can pull dynamic reports to gain insights or share specific information with other parties, like regulators and prospective suppliers or buyers.
KnowYour.Fish also has an interface designed for the end-consumer, that gives fishers and harvesters exposure to the customers they’ve been traditionally walled off from. This interface is continually being optimized to help consumers easily see the impact of their choices too, so they can become proponents for traceability and sustainability in their own right.
The app also actively educates retailers and suppliers, offering expert insights on how to reduce risk and improve sourcing choices.
We work with industry and sustainability NGOs to understand the best options and who the good actors are, so that everyone along the supply chain can make informed decisions, not just best guesses.
Who KnowYour.Fish is for
KnowYour.Fish is for you if:
- You’re a commercial fisher or harvester who prioritizes sustainable practices and wants to work with other organizations that do the same.
- You run a commercial fishery and need a traceability solution that is cost-effective and easy to use.
- You work for an NGO that is focused on sustainability, transparency, or traceability within the commercial fishing industry.
- You’re a supplier, looking for a way to track orders and ensure customer confidence.
- You’re a retailer who cares about the product they sell and are looking for a way to educate their customers and differentiate their offerings.
- You’re a consumer who wants to know where their seafood came from and that it was sourced sustainably, by people who earn a living wage.
- You care about the future of our oceans and industry and support initiatives that offer impactful solutions.
If you can answer yes to any of these points above, then get in touch with us to learn more about how you can use KnowYour.Fish or how you can help bring it to a retailer near you.
