Innovation in goose barnacle traceability

With prices fetching up to €25-30/kg (2015 prices), it provides a major source of income in local coastal communities, but is also subject to strong pressure from illegal harvesting. Although stocks are strictly monitored in order to maintain a sustainable fishery, the management tools in place are not able to ensure traceability and, therefore, cannot prevent goose barnacles collected in no-take areas entering the market. This not only threatens the sustainability of the stock but also leads to commercial losses for goose barnacle gatherers in the Berlengas area.

This project, supported by the Oeste FLAG, developed a methodology for tracing the catch area of goose barnacles, and identifying potential mislabelling or poaching activity. This methodology is based on a “mineral finger-print catalogue”, which provides the mineral composition of goose barnacles from different areas in Portugal, allowing to identify the origin of suspicious products.

The project promoter (IPLeiria, MARE-IPLeiria – Technical Institute of the University of Leiria), together with the University of Évora and the University of Aveiro, developed the methodology in collaboration with the Berlengas shellfish gatherers’ association, the Berlengas nature reserve and the municipality of Peniche. Acclaimed internationally by Nature, one of the world’s leading scientific journals, for its innovation and practical application, the project also demonstrates the benefits of science-fisheries research partnerships.

Harvest locations of goose barnacles can be successfully discriminated using trace elemental signatures