BlueTrace Grows to 430 clients, prints over 5 million tags, and expands product.

Castine, ME - BlueTrace, the software platform designed for the seafood industry, today has 430 clients across North America. As of last week, their clients had printed 5,007,844 tags and labels. Every tag includes a QR code connecting the regulatory and operational data needed to simplify seafood operations and compliance.

BlueTrace is rapidly expanding beyond shellfish and tagging. Today many BlueTrace customers use the software to track their inventory of tuna, swordfish, scallops, lobster, seaweed, and other species. Over 60 clients use their distributor solution to get advanced shipping notices and create digital receiving and shipping logs. With clients in almost every coastal state in the US, every coastal province in Canada, and in Mexico and Australia, BlueTrace works with a wide range of clients.

Several customers are piloting their latest version of the platform which includes item catalog management, real-time inventory, and pricing management. Now folks in the office can see what is happening on the floor in real time. Sales and operations know how many oysters, how many pounds of tuna or crates of lobsters they have at any given moment.  Improving operations, reducing waste and giving them control over their business.  

“Our mission is to simplify the seafood industry. The seafood industry has been around forever, and it does a lot of things well, but they are drowning in redundant paperwork. The lack of visibility into their operations makes it hard for them to scale.  90% of the seafood industry is small to midsize businesses that simply lack reasonably priced tools to do their jobs effectively.” says Chip Terry, CEO.  

“We love the way the BlueTrace team always listens and comes up with simple solutions that help companies like us grow.” says Trey McMillan of LowCountry Oysters in South Carolina.

“BlueTrace is just what we need to simplify our complex paperwork and reduce errors. Our regulator is super happy and we feel more in control,” says Paul Hagan of Denarius Trading in Boston.  

The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) requires companies to have detailed records of their food safety practices, including information about incoming shipments, according to Joe Lasprogata Vice President at Samuel and Son Seafood. 

For a company like Samuels with multiple locations and high volumes of seafood, this can be a cumbersome and time-consuming task. By utilizing technology that provides visibility into incoming shipments and helps to seamlessly collect the necessary information for FSMA compliance, companies can streamline their processes and ensure they are meeting all regulatory requirements. This not only helps to protect the safety of their products and customers but also saves time and resources for the company.

The next version of BlueTrace, which will be rolling out this Spring, includes a cloud-based system for managing sales and purchasing–while creating the invoices and purchase orders needed in their existing accounting systems.  

This is the first of three related articles exploring the issue of aquaculture in the US.  This series was sparked by NOAA seeking comments on the US National Aquaculture Development Plan. The goal of the plan is to: strengthening U.S. commitment to food security, climate resilience, and the protection of threatened and endangered species.

The last plan was done 40 years ago!

US Aquaculture Could Feed the World

The National Aquaculture Development Plan draft recognizes that, aquaculture done right is good for our health, our environment and our communities.  But we are lagging: 

• Not Enough Domestic Production: The US imports 65% - 70% of of seafood consumed domestically.  A $17 Billion annual deficit.  Despite having a huge coastline and prolific fisheries.
  
  
• Lagging Seafood Consumption: The U.S. federal dietary guidelines recommend an increase in annual seafood consumption from 19.2 pounds per capita to 26 pounds per capita.
  
  
• US Aquaculture Lags Wild Fisheries: U.S. aquaculture produces $1.5 billion in annual farm gate sales, or 20 percent of U.S. seafood production by value. In the rest of the world, aquaculture produces ~50% of the seafood--and is the fastest growing protein source in the world.  

The USDA and NOAA are investing to expand US aquaculture.  The range of investment in science, technology, and workforce development are compelling.  

A challenge that really caught our attention is the recognition that the vast majority of seafood companies lack tools to compete globally. In part this is because ~90% of seafood companies (both wild-caught and aquaculture) are small or medium companies who can't afford to invest in current systems.    

 We see this every day.  

• Small oyster farms that grow a great product but struggle to get it to market–while complying with all the regulatory paperwork and marketing their product.  Leading to burnout of owners. 
  
  
• Clam buyers who are the mercy of distant markets setting the price.
  
  
• Fisherman who never know if the product they are harvesting will sell for enough to cover the costs.
  
  
• Small wholesalers hustling every day to deliver fish to the retailers and restaurants in their community.
  
  
• The mismatch in supply and demand that leaves fish rotting while consumers can’t get what they want. The USDA estimates 39% of seafood is lost in the supply chain.

Meanwhile consumers cite three key reasons that they do not consume more seafood.

1. Expense: seafood is an expensive product
2. Quality: Freshness is a key
3. Concerns over food safety

All of these issues relate directly to the lack of tools in the seafood industry. Small firms reinventing the wheel and doing things manually increases expenses.  A cumbersome system slows the movement of product while decreasing quality and raising food safety concerns. 

The focus by USDA and NOAA on these important challenges is heartening.  Our food security and the health of our rural waterfront communities relies on getting this right.

In our next series, we'll look at options for the industry and government to help. 

Just an fyi: while some consolidation is likely we believe that there is a place for well-run small and mid-size businesses to thrive in this world.  It is the mission of BlueTrace to make that a reality.