April 1, 2014 — Software schemes have been developed in the north east of the USA which are claimed to obtain better prices for locally caught fish.
Red’s Best, a fish wholesaler in Boston, uses a software program that can provide buyers with “an incredible level of detail on every fish and mollusc that comes through the doors”, according to The Boston Globe.
Each consignment of fish the company sells has a label printed with a two-dimensional barcode or QR code (Quick Response Code). This can be scanned to reveal where and when the fish were caught, what equipment was used, even details about the vessel’s captain.
By providing this information, Jared Auerbach, the company’s founder, who developed the software program, says he is “aggressively marketing” local fishermen. “Where we’ve done well is giving people the tools to pass on the story of the fish,” he says. “We believe there’s value in the story.”
Consumers are willing to spend a little bit more if they know the fish they are buying is a little bit fresher, says Peter Kendall, manager of the Yankee Fisherman’s Cooperative in Seabrook, New Hampshire. “And they like the story of helping local fishermen.”
Unlike in other industries, electronic devices such as software apps, hand-held computers, even the internet, haven’t yet brought great efficiencies to commercial fishermen in the USA, according to The Boston Globe. However, this has created opportunities says Keith Flett, who has built a software platform for an online marketplace called Open Ocean Trading which establishes a price for fish before the catching vessels set out to sea.
Read the full story at World Fishing and Aquaculture