China launches 1st distant-water squid fishing tracking system

China unveils its first distant-water squid full-process traceability equipment in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, on Nov 18. [Provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

China's first distant-water squid full-process traceability equipment was unveiled on Tuesday in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, enabling visual tracking of squid products from fishing, cold-chain logistics, quality testing and market circulation.

Developed by professors Chen Xinjun and Cao Shouqi from Shanghai Ocean University, the new equipment serves as an intelligent supervisory hub for distant-water fisheries. It features core breakthroughs in the deep integration of modal data fusion, AI-powered image recognition, Beidou positioning and tracking, and blockchain trusted storage techniques.

The equipment enables real-time collection of core data from squid fishing sites, including fishing time, latitude and longitude coordinates, vessel identification numbers and corporate credentials, and also establishes an immutable "data ledger" with blockchain technologies, according to the university.

China unveils its first distant-water squid full-process traceability equipment in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, on Nov 18. [Provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Chen pointed out at the launching ceremony that for a long time, distant-water fisheries have faced challenges of traceability oversight due to remote operating areas and difficulty in data collection.

"The successful development of the equipment and system not only fills a technological gap in China's intelligent traceability equipment for distant-water squid fishing, but also solidly support to build a 'transparent ocean' and 'trustworthy catch' system," said Chen.

The application of the equipment is expected to enhance the credibility of China's distant-water squid products in international markets and breaks down traceability barriers in global trade. Also, consumers can simply scan a QR code with their phones to clearly view the entire journey of the squid from "ocean to plate", making food safety visible to further boost consumer confidence in the market.

In the future, the team plans to promote the use of the equipment nationwide and share the tracing technology with nations involved in the Belt and Road Initiative to help build a sustainable supervisory system worldwide.

Currently, global offshore fisheries are marked by intense competition, in which developed nations are increasingly relying on integrated technology, equipment and information systems. The equipment trends toward larger sizes, informatization and higher energy efficiency. Large fishing vessels can reach lengths of over 100 meters and weigh over 10,000 tons, equipped with advanced detection and catch-processing systems, Economic Daily reported.