Latest in food-track tech: Swipe a code, meet your fisherman

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — After eyeing a piece of haddock on the supermarket counter, a customer scans a code and finds out the fish was caught in the waters of Georges Bank and learns the name of the fishing boat — and maybe even sees a picture of the smiling, rain-slickened fisherman who reeled it in.

In an era when many sectors of the New England fishing industry are struggling with depleted resources and choking catch quotas, increasing the cachet of local seafood could be the last, best hope, said Ben Martens, executive director of the Maine Coast Fishermen's Association, one of the groups involved in the "Boat to Plate" project.

Final release is about two years away and will likely take the form of a smartphone app, said Jen Levin, the institute's sustainable seafood program manager.

The project involves bringing together data about the different pieces of the supply chain — including catch, landing, auction, processing and delivery — and allows the buyer to see all the way back to the fisherman, Levin said.

Consumers have had access to technology that connects them with the histories of such items as flour, berries, Alaskan salmon and antibiotic-free beef since the late 2000s, industry professionals said.

Despite the growth of food tracking technology, it's not well-known to many consumers, and the industry is trying to change that, said Phil Werdal, CEO of Trace Register, a Washington-based digital traceability company and one of the industry's key players.