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

提案#2137582 国家科学基金会融合加速器轨道E：可持续使用的创新海鲜可追溯网络、改进的市场准入和增强的蓝色经济应对养活不断增长的人口的全球挑战将需要来自海洋的解决方案。为了防止再次发生过度捕捞及其对生态的负面影响，主要渔业需要重新设想监测和管理战略。利用尖端的机器学习计算机技术和环境DNA(可在水中检测到的生物DNA)技术，该项目建立了一个广泛的网络，为海洋渔业实施了一个强大的可追溯性工具。该项目的重点是章鱼(称为头足类)，由于作为动物蛋白来源的不可持续开发，该渔业目前面临严重风险。虽然美国捕获了相当数量的章鱼来供应国内市场，但它也依赖从邻国和遥远国家的进口。无论原产地，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性，并减少非法捕捞做法。该项目将为美国市场和消费者开发和试点可靠的工具，以实现这些目标。交付成果还将有助于打击物种替代的欺诈性做法--不诚实地给廉价物种贴上标签，并以昂贵物种的名义出售。适当、易于部署和负担得起的环境DNA可追溯技术将有助于打击这种损害海产品管理链的做法。最重要的是，该项目将有助于为章鱼出口国提供和负担得起这些工具和技术，从而允许通过供应链--从渔网到餐盘--设立关键检查点。从发展的角度来看，它可以帮助发展中国家的小型章鱼收割机进入利润丰厚的美国市场，而不会面临贸易壁垒。这将促进公平贸易做法。最终，该项目应用融合的研究概念，将跨学科的知识、方法和专业知识整合在一起，以促进科学发展，并为解决粮食安全、可持续消费和海洋资源保护等同时面临的全球挑战奠定基础。头足类动物目前正在加速滥用和管理不善，章鱼物种由于作为一种重要的动物来源蛋白质而被开发，特别容易受到伤害。这一问题源于缺乏章鱼招募的数据，以及渔业内部普遍缺乏基础设施。因此，以实时检测和可靠预测为基础的可追溯性方法的使用为有力地评估章鱼海鲜供应链中的种群及其开发潜力提供了希望。为了控制非法、未报告和无管制的捕捞活动，海产品可追溯性方法必须易于复制和负担得起。此外，生产者和消费者之间的透明活动将有助于在适当的条例下收集数据，并最终为改进库存作出适当的决定。这一NSF汇聚加速器项目将：(1)开发一个仪表盘原型可追踪性工具，利用机器学习模型“SeaTraceBlueNet”对环境元数据、物种发生情况和图像等遗留数据进行培训，以确定美国和国外野生章鱼渔业的物种和捕捞区域；(2)发展一个基于社区的公民-科学网络(渔民、研究人员、行业合作伙伴、学生等)。为收集新的数据(图像、元数据和环境DNA(EDNA))，培训和测试便携式EDNA工具包和SeaTraceBlueNet原型，以建立建立标准化可追溯性系统的协作能力；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发展蓝色经济，纳入利益攸关方的最佳做法和现有标准。这个项目是前瞻性的，借鉴了团队成员的观点、想法、专业知识和技能，代表了不同的背景、种族、民族、年龄和地理区域。协理人员和高级人员队伍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位于美国境内，但由于海产品可追溯性需要全球解决方案，发达国家和新兴国家的专家进一步加强了该项目。总的来说，该项目促进了多种新的和现有的渔业知识和数据的协调使用，以对关键的海洋生物资源进行变革性的、准确的监测。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.