Traceability is a flashy buzz word that consumers look for when purchasing food. It is so wildly used that know one questions it. What is actual traceability? When it comes to seafood the more transparent and traceable the better.

The phrases know your source and know your farmer are widely used. Know your fisherman should be the same. We like to know what farm our meats and vegetables came from. The same thing should apply to seafood, knowing where it comes from.

Unfortunately the seafood has a dirty under belly, making it all that much more important to know the details of the catch before you buy. You want as much transparency as possible. Whoever is selling that seafood should be able to trace the catch right back to when, where, how and by vessel it was caught on.

Not all seafood is created equal. You want to know when the product was caught. What boat it was caught by. The method of fishing and handling of the catch. The time frame before it was frozen and how it was frozen. All these details matter to the quality and sanatibabily of seafood.

When people claim their seafood is traceable down to the source they should be able to provide all this information no problem. The more transparent the more traceable. Nobody has to prove that it's traceable for them to claim traceability. It doesn't hurt to ask a few questions to see if they are as traceable as they claim.

Get to know your fisherman. Know their story. Being at sea isn't easy for fun most of the time. Appreciate what they do to bring the best quality seafood they can back to harvest. When you know the boat and people you're getting your fish from you don't have to question the traceability.

Buying seafood from traceable and transparent operations will provide you with higher quality more enjoyable seafood. Trace it to the source.