NSF Convergence Accelerator Track E: Innovative Seafood Traceability Network for Sustainable Use, Improved Market Access, and Enhanced Blue Economy

NSF 融合加速器轨道 E：创新海鲜可追溯网络，实现可持续利用、改善市场准入和增强蓝色经济

• 批准号: 2137582
• 负责人: Demian Willette
• 金额: $ 74.96万
• 依托单位: Loyola Marymount University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-10-01 至 2023-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2137582&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: NSF; Convergence; Accelerator; Track; Innovative

Proposal # 2137582 NSF Convergence Accelerator Track E: Innovative seafood traceability network for sustainable use, improved market access, and enhanced blue economy Addressing the global challenge of feeding the growing human population will require a solution from the ocean. To prevent reoccurrences of overfishing and its negative ecological impacts, major fisheries require reimagined monitoring and management strategies. Leveraging leading-edge machine learning computer technology and environmental DNA (an organism’s DNA that can be detected in the water) techniques, this project builds a broad network to implement a powerful traceability tool for marine fisheries. This project focuses on octopus (known as cephalopods), a fishery currently at severe risk due to unsustainable exploitation as an animal protein source. While the United States catches a fair number of octopus to supply the domestic market, it also relies on imports from both neighboring and distant countries. Regardless of origin, octopus products on the market should meet the same requirements of other seafoods to ensure consumer protection and fishery sustainability and reduced illegal fishing practices. This project will develop and pilot reliable tools to achieve these goals for the American market and consumers. Deliverables will also help to combat the fraudulent practice of species substitution – the dishonest labeling and selling of a cheap species under the name of an expensive one. Proper, easy to deploy and affordable environmental DNA traceability techniques will help combat this practice that damages the seafood management chain. Most importantly, this project will help make these tools and techniques available and affordable for octopus-exporting countries, thus allowing for critical check points through the supply chain – from the fishing net to the dinner plate. From a development perspective, it can help small-scale octopus harvesters in developing countries access the lucrative American market without facing tariff barriers to trade. This will promote fair trade practices. Ultimately, this project applies convergence research concepts that integrate knowledge, methods, and expertise across disciplines to advance science and lay the foundation for solving the simultaneous global challenges of food security, sustainable consumption, and marine resource conservation. Cephalopods are currently undergoing accelerating misuse and mismanagement with octopus species particularly vulnerable due to their exploitation as an important animal-derived protein. This problem originates from a dearth of data on octopus recruitment and a general lack of infrastructure within the fishery. Hence, the utility of traceability methods rooted in real-time detection and reliable predictions offer promise to robustly assess stocks and their potential for exploitation in the octopus seafood supply chain. Seafood traceability methods must be easily replicable and affordable for the management of seafood to control Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing. Furthermore, transparent activities between the producers and the consumers will facilitate data collection under proper regulations and, ultimately, appropriate decisions towards stock improvements. This NSF Convergence Accelerator project will: (1) Develop a dashboard prototype traceability tool that allows affordable identification of species and area of capture for wild octopus fisheries within the United States and abroad using a machine learning model “SeaTraceBlueNet” trained on legacy data of environmental metadata, species occurrence and images; (2) Develop a community-based citizen-science network (fishers, researchers, industry partners, students, etc.) to gather new data (images, metadata and environmental DNA (eDNA)), train on and test the portable eDNA kits and SeaTraceBlueNet prototype to build the collaborative capacity to establish a standardized traceability system; and, (3) Set a system in place to connect traceability, sustainability and legality to support the development of a blue economy around the octopus value chain, incorporating the best practices and existing standards from stakeholders. This project is forward-thinking in drawing upon the perspective, ideas, expertise, and skillsets of the team members that represent a diversity of backgrounds, races, ethnicities, ages, and geographic regions. Over half of the team of co-PIs and Senior Personnel are women and/or persons of color. Most of the research team and industry partners are geographically located within the United States, yet this project is further strengthened by experts based in both developed and emerging nations as seafood traceability requires a global solution. Broadly, this project promotes coordinated use of multiple new and existing fisheries knowledge and data for transformative, accurate monitoring of key marine bioresources.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

提案# 2137582 NSF Convergence Accelerator Track E：创新的海产品可追溯性网络，以实现可持续利用、改善市场准入和增强蓝色经济解决养活不断增长的人口的全球挑战需要海洋的解决方案。为了防止再次发生过度捕捞及其负面生态影响，主要渔业需要重新设想监测和管理战略。该项目利用先进的机器学习计算机技术和环境DNA（可在水中检测到的生物体DNA）技术，建立了一个广泛的网络，为海洋渔业提供强大的可追溯性工具。该项目的重点是章鱼（称为头足类动物），由于作为动物蛋白质来源的不可持续的开发，这种渔业目前面临严重风险。虽然美国捕获了相当数量的章鱼供应国内市场，但它也依赖于从邻国和遥远的国家进口。无论产地如何，市场上的章鱼产品应符合其他海产品的相同要求，以确保消费者保护和渔业可持续发展，并减少非法捕鱼行为。该项目将开发和试点可靠的工具，以实现美国市场和消费者的这些目标。生物多样性还将有助于打击物种替代的欺诈行为--以昂贵物种的名义不诚实地贴上标签和出售廉价物种。适当、易于部署和负担得起的环境DNA可追溯性技术将有助于打击这种破坏海产品管理链的做法。最重要的是，该项目将有助于使章鱼出口国能够获得这些工具和技术，并使其负担得起，从而使供应链中的关键检查点-从渔网到餐盘。从发展的角度来看，它可以帮助发展中国家的小型章鱼捕捞者进入利润丰厚的美国市场，而不会面临贸易关税壁垒。这将促进公平贸易做法。最终，该项目应用融合研究概念，整合跨学科的知识，方法和专业知识，以推动科学发展，并为解决粮食安全，可持续消费和海洋资源保护等全球性挑战奠定基础。目前，章鱼豆荚正在加速滥用和管理不善，章鱼物种特别脆弱，因为它们是一种重要的动物源性蛋白质。这一问题的根源是缺乏章鱼补充的数据和渔业内普遍缺乏基础设施。因此，基于实时检测和可靠预测的可追溯性方法的实用性，有望有力地评估章鱼海鲜供应链中的库存及其开发潜力。海产品可追溯性方法必须易于复制和负担得起，以便管理海产品，控制非法、未报告和无管制的捕捞活动。此外，生产者和消费者之间的透明活动将有助于根据适当的条例收集数据，并最终有助于作出适当的决定，以改进库存。（1）开发一个仪表板原型可追溯性工具，利用在环境元数据、物种出现和图像等遗留数据基础上训练的机器学习模型“SeaTraceBlueNet”，以可负担的价格确定美国和国外野生章鱼渔业的物种和捕捞区域;（2）建立一个以社区为基础的公民-科学网络（渔民、研究人员、行业伙伴、学生等）收集新的数据（图像、元数据和环境DNA（eDNA）），培训和测试便携式eDNA试剂盒和SeaTraceBlueNet原型，以建立建立标准化可追溯系统的协作能力;以及，（3）建立一个系统，将可追溯性，可持续性和合法性联系起来，以支持围绕章鱼价值链的蓝色经济的发展，纳入利益攸关方的最佳做法和现有标准。该项目具有前瞻性思维，借鉴了代表不同背景，种族，民族，年龄和地理区域的团队成员的观点，想法，专业知识和技能。共同首席执行官和高级人员团队中有一半以上是妇女和/或有色人种。大多数研究团队和行业合作伙伴都位于美国境内，但该项目得到了发达国家和新兴国家专家的进一步加强，因为海鲜可追溯性需要全球解决方案。广泛地说，该项目促进协调使用多种新的和现有的渔业知识和数据，对关键海洋生物资源进行变革性的准确监测。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。