This presentation maps the existing information systems striving to create more transparency in Pacific tuna and argues that state-based information systems may be unable to overcome political and commercial interests. Our work suggests that information innovation by private actors can improve public fisheries management. These improvements are often local, however, and the flow of information across stakeholders can be limited, even when innovation exists. We argue that a new architecture for transparency and accountability is needed for the conservation of WCPO tuna that links existing information platforms, connects investors with local businesses and communities, and increases the availability of private data to public entities.

1. Incentivising the private provision of public tuna information through traceability
Simon Bush, Megan Bailey, Paul van Zwieten and Momo Kochen
The 6th International Conference on Agribusiness Economics and Management, 2-3 September 2014, Davao City, Philippines

2. Informational needs and challenges

Informational demands: Limit and target reference points, by-catch, food safety, IUU, provenance, benefit allocation and conservation burden, employment and food security
?
?
?
?

Global challenges
●
North placing ever greater demands on South
●
South information poor and fish rich (?)
●
Private sector in South starting to face barriers to export markets

3. Global tuna information architecture
Database
Static data
Dynamic data
Enumeration (E), Collation (C), Reporting (R)
RFMO compliant
Public/private
Interoperability
OpenAccess system
OpenAccess data
Mobile App.
FAO Tuna Atlas
X
C R
X
Public
Weak
X
Sea Around Us
X
C R
Public
Weak
X
FAO iMarine
X
C R
Public
Weak
X
X
ThisFish
X
E C R
Private
Fair
X
X
X
Oceanwise
R
Private
Weak
X
Pacifical b.v.
X
E C R
X
Private
Weak
IMACS/ANOVA
X
E C R
X
Public/Private
High
X
CSIRO/ACIAR
X
E C
X
Public
High
SPC TUFMAN
X
C R
X
Public
Fair
DGCF Indonesia
X
E C R
Public
Weak
BAS Philippines
X
E C R
Public
Weak

4. Informational transparency
Different access to informational technology – North-South divide.
(Global) informational flows becoming as important as material flows
New expectations to ‘know’ placing new demands on informational infrastructures
Complexity of trans- boundary resources and trade

5. Value chain transparency

Who is providing what information to who, how and why?
Forms of transparency
Information disclosure by ...
For ...
1.
Management
Upstream economic actors in chains
Downstream economic actors in chains
2. Regulatory
Private (economic) actors
Regulatory and inspection bodies
3. Consumer
Economic actors in chains
Consumers and certification bodies
4. Public
Private (economic) actors, certification bodies
Public (citizen- consumers)
Adapted from Mol (Forthcoming), J. Clean. Prod.

6. Informational governance

Decisions around the control of information is an act of environmental governance
Public regimes
Private networks
Hybrid arrangements? Setting transparency requirements in exchange for market access.

7. Questions
1.
What opportunities are there for collaborative public- public collection, storage, analysis and communication of tuna information?
2.
What kinds of incentives can ‘information rich’ consumer facing traceability create for on-going (sustainable) data collection in these fisheries?
3.
Does the introduction of consumer facing traceability generate information flows that are of a high enough quality, timely, accessible and understandable?
Improving Fisheries Information and Traceability for Tuna (IFITT)

8. 0
100000
200000
300000
400000
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Catch Kg
STATE/COMMUNITY IFISH DATABASE
PRIVATE ENUMERATION
DATA MANAGEMENT
COMMITTEES

9. 2. UPLOAD INFO
1. CODE THE CATCH
3. HANDLE + SHIP
4. TRACE TO DISCOVER
Discover the story of your seafood

11. Timely and legible information
iFISH
Sub-national
National
Regional
Producer
Consumer
Market
State
?
?
?

12. Networked data flows

iFish database Alternative system to WCPFC TUFMAN database. Greater interoperability, OpenAccess, Cloud based.

MDPI Investing in RFMO compliant enumeration, observer programmes – fisheries data (target and non-target), ETPs.

ThisFish Providing consumer facing traceability system with transparent information to consumers and
REGULATORY
And
MANAGEMENT
VC Transparency
REGULATORY and MANAGEMENT
CONSUMER
and
PUBLIC

13. Where are the incentives?

What resolution of traceability?

What changes to value chain coordination?

What efficiencies emerge in chain practices?

14. Information brokers and blockers

Who are brokers of information?

Where change towards sustainability can be leveraged?

Who are barriers of information exchange?

15. A new informational architecture?

Regimes remain backbone of informational governance supplemented by private infrastructure

But emerging trend that private actors and networks are sources of public fisheries information

Question remains:
Can goals of fisheries data collection and traceability can be aligned to creating new incentives for information provision?

16. www.besttuna.org/en/besttuna/IFITT
Helping Indonesia emerge from the ‘informational periphery’