NGO Future of Fish has described the Maldives’ new Fisheries Information System (FIS) for one-by-one tuna as a big step forward for fisheries management. The new online FIS recently introduced to Maldivian one-by-one tuna fisheries is “truly innovative, and pushes the envelope in terms of what can be achieved in modern fisheries management”, according to the seafood sustainability non-profit. Launched in August this year, the FIS monitors catch logbooks, fish purchase information, fishing vessel licence information and catch certificates, allowing the Maldives’ one-by-one tuna fisheries to fulfil all the latest international traceability requirements with regards to catch and vessel reporting. The FIS is using both catch documentation and catch information to verify their exports,” said Keith Flett, strategy director with Future of Fish, fresh from a visit to the Maldives. “It is one of the bigger steps forward that a government has taken to verify that the catch has actually been reported to the government at the point of export. All while trying to meet EU and IUU task force laws.” Through its work in traceability technology, Future of Fish has identified the five core functions that must be present in order to ensure full-chain transparency in the seafood supply chain. The new FIS in the Maldives manages to check off three of the most challenging functions: supply chain visibility, vessel-dock capture, and data verification. Through our key role at the IOTC, we are actively encouraging fishery improvements beyond our own borders,” said Mohamed Shainee, minister of fisheries and agriculture for the Maldives. “I see no reason why a FIS cannot be rolled out to a much broader geography to safeguard the long-term futures of many more coastal communities in the Indian Ocean and beyond.” The FIS was developed through generous support from the International Pole and Line Foundation, and its members: Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury and World Wise Foods. It is now being expanded through a second phase of development, with features to include automated catch reporting from fishing vessels.