Invisible Hand
The Problem
The world seafood market is estimated to be 177 million metric tons worldwide in 2026, where China alone consumes 71 million metric tons1. There are regulation policies in China that aim to address over-fishing, however, the implementation is problematic. Meanwhile, unsustainable fishing is a tragedy of the commons turned into a tragedy of biodiversity and of coastal communities’ livelihoods. Despite the increasingly prominent role of aquaculture in total fish supply, the capture sector is expected to remain the primary source of a variety of species and vital for domestic and international food security.”2 The capture sector is known to deplete the fish stock and in addition, many fishing practices indirectly impact the marine ecosystems and their biodiversity. One such example is the incidental capture, injury, or sacrifice of bycatch such as turtles, dolphins, or whales. Another example is seafloor trawling, which can destroy fish habitats and crucial ecosystem elements, living behind true “underwater deserts”. However, “In real terms, fish prices are expected to decrease over the next decade from the record highs attained in 2014.” 3 Another overlapping issue is that of illegal fishing, which includes illegal, unreported, and unregulated, or IUU fishing. IUU fishing occurs internationally, it is also a salient issue in China.
Our Proposal
Cloud Fishing – an “Uber” like app linking individual fishermen to consumers and replacing the “bullies”, who are price-setting dealers from the supply chain with “healthier” supply chain alternatives. The app offers bidding function to the fishermen as well as the desired-listing functions to the consumers, at the same time, the quality checking and rating system are incorporated to ensure the sustainable fishing and adequate pricing to replace the current volume-driven market. In the process, we will improve the livelihoods of an at-risk group – the small-scale fishermen and as a result, enable coastal communities to thrive from the wise resource management of their nearby fish stocks (which, due to the industrial fishing practices, they currently need to search at an ever-increasing distance from the shores). Secondary, yet somewhat more palpable, benefits to fishermen include relevant data such as ocean conditions, which can already be found in some of the existing apps in the international market. However, while those are designed having in mind fishing solely as a business (as also illustrated in their ‘How to catch more’ messaging), our approach is to create a niche market, in which they will receive both higher prices and positive reinforcements within the app and within their communities for sustainable catches (e.g. non-juvenile fish from within specific categories that are most abundant).
We Assume that...
Ultimately, it is consumer demand that determines to what extent the fishing effort pays off for fishermen.
Initiatives encouraging holistic community-based approaches to conservation can be successfully replicated in China.
The local government is willing to change the current fisheries regulation system.
Constraints to Overcome
The existing app does not take into consideration the sustainable fisheries and government management.