That tin of tuna on your supermarket shelf might have travelled thousands of miles across multiple oceans, passed through several processing facilities, and changed hands numerous times before reaching you. Yet the label probably tells you surprisingly little about its actual journey. While consumers increasingly want to know where their food comes from, the tuna industry’s complex global supply chains make it difficult to trace your fish back to its origins.
Understanding tuna traceability matters more than you might think. The fish supply chain involves numerous risks, from illegal fishing practices to labour violations, that can affect both the environment and your health. Learning what to look for on packaging and understanding the limitations of current labelling can help you make more informed choices about the sustainable seafood you purchase.
Why Most Tuna Labels Don’t Tell the Real Story
Walk down any supermarket aisle and you’ll see tuna cans with labels like “Pacific caught” or “sustainably sourced.” These terms sound reassuring, but they reveal very little about where your tuna actually came from. The Pacific Ocean covers about 165 million square kilometres, so knowing your tuna was caught there doesn’t narrow things down much.
Traditional supply chain documentation relies heavily on manual paperwork that gets passed from vessel to processor to retailer. This creates gaps in information. A fishing vessel might record basic details about its catch, but by the time that tuna reaches your local shop, the specific details about which boat caught it, exactly where, and using what methods have often been lost or simplified.
Several key factors contribute to this lack of transparency in tuna labelling:
- Geographic vagueness – Labels show broad regions like “Western Pacific” rather than specific coordinates, making it impossible to verify if fish came from protected areas or sustainable fishing zones
- Multiple processing stages – Tuna often gets caught in one location, processed in another country, and packaged elsewhere, with origin details becoming diluted at each transfer point
- Inconsistent certification standards – Terms like “dolphin safe” or “sustainably sourced” can mean different things depending on which certification scheme was used, creating confusion for consumers
- Manual documentation systems – Paper-based record keeping between vessels, processors, and retailers creates opportunities for information to be lost or oversimplified
These limitations in current labelling practices mean that even well-intentioned consumers struggle to make truly informed decisions about their seafood purchases. The result is a system where marketing terms often substitute for genuine transparency, leaving the real story of your tuna’s journey largely untold.
What Information You Should Look for on Tuna Packaging
Genuine tuna transparency requires much more specific information than most current labels provide. When shopping for traceable tuna, knowing what details to look for can help you identify products with more reliable supply chain documentation.
The most important information to seek includes:
- Vessel identification numbers or names – This allows the product to be traced back to the specific boat that caught the fish, providing accountability for fishing practices
- Exact catch locations with coordinates – Look for latitude and longitude coordinates or specific fishing areas defined by regional fisheries management organisations, rather than vague ocean references
- Fishing method specifications – Clear statements about whether tuna was caught using purse seine nets, longlines, or other methods indicate maintained supply chain records and help assess environmental impact
- Processing facility details – Information about where and when tuna was processed shows comprehensive record keeping throughout the supply chain
- Specific certification numbers – Look for verifiable certifications from recognised bodies like MSC or ASC with numbers that can be independently checked, not just generic sustainability claims
- Batch or lot numbers – These enable access to additional information about the specific fish you’re purchasing and facilitate rapid response if issues arise
While finding all these details on current tuna packaging remains challenging, products that include several of these elements demonstrate a company’s commitment to supply chain transparency. This level of detailed labelling indicates that someone has invested in maintaining precise records from ocean to shelf, giving you greater confidence in your seafood choices.
The Hidden Risks of Untraceable Tuna Supply Chains
When tuna origins cannot be verified, serious problems can slip into the supply chain undetected, creating risks that extend far beyond simple consumer preference. The lack of transparency in global tuna supply chains enables various harmful practices to persist.
The major risks associated with untraceable tuna include:
- Illegal fishing activities – IUU fishing accounts for up to 20% of global catch, often occurring in protected areas using methods that damage marine ecosystems and deplete fish stocks
- Labour violations and exploitation – Remote ocean operations with limited oversight sometimes involve forced labour, unsafe working conditions, or human trafficking that goes undetected
- Environmental degradation – Unsustainable fishing practices including overfishing, bycatch of endangered species, and habitat destruction occur more frequently without proper monitoring
- Food safety concerns – Fish caught or processed under poor conditions may not meet safety standards, with contamination issues becoming difficult to trace and address quickly
- Business and reputational risks – Companies face costly lawsuits, brand damage, and complex recalls when untraceable products are later linked to illegal or unethical practices
- Consumer health impacts – Products from compromised supply chains may contain contaminants, be mislabelled regarding species or origin, or fail to meet quality standards
These interconnected risks demonstrate why tuna traceability matters for multiple stakeholders throughout the supply chain. From ocean conservation and worker protection to food safety and business integrity, the ability to verify tuna origins serves as a critical safeguard against systemic problems that thrive in opacity. Without robust traceability systems, these risks continue to proliferate, affecting not just individual consumers but entire marine ecosystems and fishing communities worldwide.
How SmarTuna Helps You Trace Your Tuna from Ocean to Plate
We’ve built our digital traceability platform specifically to address the gaps in traditional tuna supply chains. Our system captures first-mile data directly from fishing vessels using satellite VMS and AIS tracking, so we know exactly where and when each batch of tuna was caught before it even reaches port.
Our platform assigns unique Raw Material IDs to each batch at the point of discharge, digitally linking origin, composition, and verification criteria. This means every piece of tuna in our system carries a complete digital record of its journey from the moment it was caught.
Here’s how our comprehensive traceability works:
- Real-time vessel tracking – Captures exact fishing locations and methods using satellite technology, eliminating guesswork about where and how fish were caught
- Automated verification checks – Cross-references catch data against 15+ regulatory and certification databases to ensure compliance with legal and sustainability requirements
- Digital document storage – Maintains all verification documents per batch in secure cloud storage, enabling complete audit trails for regulatory compliance
- Consumer QR code access – Provides end consumers with complete product stories through simple smartphone scanning of package codes
- GDST standards integration – Ensures consistent data exchange across the supply chain using globally recognised seafood traceability protocols
Our system automatically pulls data from RFMO registries, ISSF PVR, MSC Chain of Custody records, and IUU blacklists to verify that every batch meets legal and sustainability requirements. This verification happens in real time, preventing problematic products from entering the supply chain rather than discovering issues after distribution. The result is unprecedented transparency that protects both businesses and consumers while supporting sustainable fishing practices.
If you’re a seafood buyer, processor, or retailer looking to provide genuine transparency to your customers, we can show you how our platform transforms scattered supply chain data into verifiable proof of sustainable and ethical sourcing. Contact us today to see how digital traceability can protect your brand while giving consumers the transparency they deserve.
