Tracing Risk and Opportunity: The Critical Need for Traceability in Today’s Seafood Supply Chains

The report highlights a significant gap between the public sustainability commitments of major seafood companies and their actual implementation of robust traceability. While some companies like Thai Union and CP Foods have group-level commitments, most lack time-bound targets, detailed implementation plans, or annual progress reporting. The document argues that full-chain, digital, and interoperable traceability—specifically aligned with Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST) standards—is essential for managing material risks such as IUU fishing, forced labour, and overfishing, and for complying with emerging regulations in the EU, US, and Japan.

• Traceability commitments among the seven assessed seafood companies vary significantly in ambition; only Thai Union and CP Foods have relatively strong group-level commitments covering all seafood products and aquaculture feed ingredients.
• Progress reporting on traceability is lagging across the sector, with only Thai Union and CP Foods providing annual updates, though these disclosures are often limited to specific species, regions, or subsidiaries.
• Companies frequently rely on third-party certifications (such as MSC and ASC) for sustainability assurance, but the report warns that Chain of Custody certification should not be confused with a company's own capacity for full-chain, digital, and interoperable traceability.
• The seafood industry faces severe operational and legal risks, including the fact that 20% of global wild-caught seafood is linked to Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, which costs the global economy between US $15 billion and US $36 billion annually.
• Implementing robust traceability systems is estimated to cost as little as 1% of seafood sales but could potentially increase industry profitability by 60% by reducing waste, recalls, and improving regulatory compliance.
• Global regulatory pressure is increasing, with the EU, US, and Japan already requiring traceability, and sanctions for non-compliance ranging from seven-figure fines in Europe to stock exchange delisting in the US.
• The Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST) provides a technology-agnostic standard that defines Critical Tracking Events (CTEs) and Key Data Elements (KDEs) to ensure data is recorded and communicated consistently across the supply chain.
• Overfishing has increased dramatically over the last 50 years, with the proportion of overfished stocks rising from approximately 10% in the 1970s to 38% in 2021.
• Forced labour is a critical social risk in the sector, with the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimating that approximately 128,000 fishing workers are in forced labour on remote vessels worldwide.

APA

WWF International (2024). Tracing Risk and Opportunity: The Critical Need for Traceability in Today’s Seafood Supply Chains. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/535/755o7ir5wm_FAIRR_Seafood_Traceability_Engagement_Phase1_Progress_Report_2024.pdf

Chicago

WWF International. Tracing Risk and Opportunity: The Critical Need for Traceability in Today’s Seafood Supply Chains. 2024. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/535/755o7ir5wm_FAIRR_Seafood_Traceability_Engagement_Phase1_Progress_Report_2024.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=Tracing Risk and Opportunity: The Critical Need for Traceability in Today’s Seafood Supply Chains |date=December 2024 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/535/755o7ir5wm_FAIRR_Seafood_Traceability_Engagement_Phase1_Progress_Report_2024.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternational2024tracing, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{Tracing Risk and Opportunity: The Critical Need for Traceability in Today’s Seafood Supply Chains}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2024}, month = dec, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/535/755o7ir5wm_FAIRR_Seafood_Traceability_Engagement_Phase1_Progress_Report_2024.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }