A Critical Review of the Blockchain-Based Traceability and Biosecurity Framework for Global Aquaculture Supply Chains

Abstract

The global aquaculture industry, a cornerstone of future food security, is currently operating under a systemic vulnerability defined by supply chain opacity, rampant seafood fraud, and devastating, uncontained disease outbreaks. Traditional, centralized, and often paper-based traceability systems have proven fundamentally incapable of providing the requisite immutability, real-time data integrity, and cross-border transparency needed to mitigate these risks (Patro et al., 2022; Tolentino-Zondervan et al., 2023). This comprehensive academic review critically examines the theoretical and practical potential of an integrated Blockchain-Based Traceability and Biosecurity (BBTB) Framework to fundamentally restructure the global aquaculture supply chain. Synthesizing a robust body of literature from 2020 onwards, this paper proposes a novel, multi-layered conceptual architecture that strategically converges Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), the Internet of Things (IoT), and Artificial Intelligence (AI) into a cohesive, decentralized system. The framework is designed to establish an immutable, cryptographically secured record of product provenance, environmental conditions, and animal health status from "egg to plate" (Hazzarul Hisham et al., 2025). The review delves into the critical technical design choices, contrasting permissioned DLT platforms (e.g., Hyperledger Fabric) with public chains, and specifying the role of smart contracts in automating biosecurity compliance and regulatory enforcement (Eren & Karaduman, 2023; Valencia-Payan et al., 2022). Furthermore, it provides a deep analysis of the governance challenges, including the necessity for international policy harmonization and the establishment of Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) for consortium management (Putranti, 2025). Crucially, the paper addresses the profound socioeconomic implications, arguing that the integration of Decentralized Finance (DeFi) and tokenized incentives is essential to ensure the framework's accessibility and equitable adoption by small-scale producers, thereby mitigating the risk of exacerbating the digital divide (Patro et al., 2022; Phong et al., 2021). The central thesis is that while significant barriers-such as high initial capital expenditure, data oracle reliability, and the need for global data standardization-persist, the BBTB Framework represents an imperative paradigm shift toward a more resilient, sustainable, and trustworthy global seafood system, positioning this research as a critical contribution to high-impact journals.