Untapped decarbonisation potential of small-scale fisheries.
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Decarbonising the cold chain is a high-impact intervention
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Solar-powered ice production can reduce the total product carbon footprint by up to 27%
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Analysis shows that complex, small-scale seafood supply chains can generate the rigorous data required by global buyers and investors
Ice production for refrigeration is a significant and often overlooked source of carbon emissions in Indonesian small-scale tuna fisheries, according to a report published by the International Pole & Line Foundation (IPNLF).
The report, The untapped decarbonisation potential of Indonesian small-scale fisheries, identifies emissions hotspots in small-scale Indonesian yellowfin tuna supply chains, a vital global export commodity.
As the seafood industry faces mounting pressure to disclose supply chain emissions, these Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) demonstrate that even complex, small-scale seafood supply chains can generate the rigorous data required by global buyers and investors.
This is particularly important for producers who operate small-scale fleets using highly selective fishing gear, such as handline and sell to the EU market. These producers often face market access barriers, when compared to industrial fishing fleets, yet create more job opportunities for local coastal communities and far fewer adverse biodiversity impacts.
For the first time, these small-scale tuna fisheries in Indonesia have publicly available, verified EU compliant carbon footprint data, providing the sector with a credible, comparable baseline to measure environmental progress.
The findings also demonstrate that decarbonising the cold chain is a high-impact, practical intervention that could have wider applications beyond fisheries.
Key findings: the carbon cost of the cold chain
The report highlights that the locations where emissions occur is vital for mitigation:
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The “solar ice” opportunity: Ice production accounts for up to 33% of fishery-stage emissions in some fisheries. The report reveals that solar-powered ice production can reduce the total product carbon footprint by up to 27%.
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Fuel efficiency: Fuel use remains the largest single source of emissions, accounting for 61–76% of fishery-stage carbon. Improving vessel design and route optimisation is identified as the highest-impact measure for fishers.
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Processing disparities: The analysis found that electricity consumption at processing plants varies significantly, signalling an urgent need for further post-harvest studies.
Aligning economic and environmental goals
Beyond carbon reduction, the report emphasises that “greening” the supply chain offers direct economic benefits to local communities. Consistent access to high-quality ice improves first-sale prices for fishers and reduces pressure on tuna stocks by minimising post-harvest waste.
Transitioning to low-GWP (Global Warming Potential) refrigerants, such as CO₂, ammonia, or propane, and adopting modular solar-ice units in rural areas in Maluku, are cited as actionable steps to improve both competitiveness and resilience.
“Small-scale fishers in remote coastal settings face a compounding set of market entry barriers: limited access to formal capital, irregular grid connectivity, fragmented cold chain infrastructure, and catch volumes that make the economics of new low-carbon technology adoption difficult,” explains Christopher Giordano, Fisheries Project Manager and Cold Chain Expert, International Pole and Line Foundation.
“These findings provide an essential starting point for understanding where the lion’s share of emissions are being expressed.”
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