A consortium of international squid buyers has joined a global seafood transparency initiative, marking a first-of-its-kind move to publicly disclose sourcing information in the squid industry, the Ocean Disclosure Project (ODP) announced.

The Global Squid Supply Chain Roundtable (Squid SR), whose members import from Asia-Pacific and South America, has published detailed sourcing information from 21 of its 22 participants, including data on sustainability metrics and environmental impact assessments of their supplier fisheries.

"We are pleased to welcome the Global Squid Supply Chain Roundtable to the Ocean Disclosure Project as the first initiative of its kind to publicly disclose sourcing information through the project," said Tania Woodcock, ODP project manager.

Some participants faced difficulties identifying specific vessel flags and fishing regions while compiling the data, according to the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership, which established the ODP in 2015. In these cases, broader regional classifications were used as a precautionary measure.

The roundtable's member companies have pledged to strengthen their traceability systems and implement more rigorous due diligence protocols to better assess supply chain risks.

Carmen Gonzalez-Valles Martinez, director of supply chain roundtables at Sustainable Fisheries Partnership, called the disclosure a "significant step" for the industry.

The Squid SR participants include Aquastar, Beaver Street Fisheries, Cabomar, Confremar Group, Congalsa, Export Packers, Fortune International, GlobalpeZ, Grupo Alfrio, Grupo Profand, High Liner Foods, Lanzal Productos del Mar S.L., Lund’s Fisheries/Sun Coast Calamari, Lyons Seafoods, Netuno USA, PanaPesca, Quirch Foods, Santa Monica Seafood, Seafresh Group, Simplot Australia, and Worldwide Fishing Company.

The Global Squid Supply Chain Roundtable’s full profile can be viewed here.