Reimagining the Seafood Industry from Hook to Plate

Kalalohko joins the IOTA Business Innovation Program

TL;DR:
Kalalohko is rebuilding the seafood supply chain with transparency and fairness. As a new participant in the IOTA Business Innovation Program, it uses IOTA Identity, Notarization, and the Gas Station to trace seafood provenance, support local fishermen, and drive scalable, verifiable real-world adoption.

IOTA’s mission to connect the real world on-chain by providing infrastructure that removes structural challenges holding industries back continues with Kalalohko a EU-funded project set to make waves in the seafood industry – and the latest project to join the IOTA Business Innovation Program.

The global seafood industry - valued by some at about USD 262.26 Billion in 2025 – has long been shaped by opaque, centralized structures that squeeze local fishermen, reduce ecological resilience, and increase dependence on imports. 

Falling prices, rising costs, and market oligopolies have made fishing economically unsustainable for many, accelerating a decline in local activity that harms both communities and marine biodiversity.

Kalalohko is challenging the status quo. It’s dedicated to creating a seafood supply chain that is not only efficient and cost-effective but also transparent and fair to every single stakeholder.

By providing a technological solution that brings about higher wages for fishermen and more work for local logistics actors, Kalalohko wants to restore a sustainable local industry. The result will be fresher, locally sourced fish for consumers, increased ecological diversity, and lower prices for end-users like restaurants and municipalities

Why a Public DLT is the Only Way Forward

To achieve this level of transparency and decentralization, Kalalohko needs a partner that is equally committed to challenging the status quo. "We are in the business of upsetting a very conservative industry, with well established, centralized power structures and set ways", explains Tommi Lindholm, Chairman of Kalalohko. "In our view, IOTA wants to challenge this kind of thinking, bringing about transparency, decentralization, and accountability to commerce." This partnership is built on a shared vision of a more equitable future for all stakeholders in the supply chain.

Upcoming EU regulations and developments like WWF Sweden’s reclassification of factory-farmed rainbow trout from green to yellow — reflecting concerns about its ecological impact — highlight the growing need for a public DLT to track sustainably sourced products.

How Kalalohko Plans to Use IOTA Tech

• IOTA Identity will provide a unique, tamper-proof digital identity for every actor in the logistics chain, from the fishing company to the restaurant.
• IOTA Notarization will serve as the single, immutable record of a fish's entire journey, ensuring its provenance is verifiable from the moment it leaves the net.
• IOTA Gas Station will ensure that all these transactions occur seamlessly, providing a friction-free user experience by sponsoring all transaction fees.

Kalalohko also plans to extend this proven model to other industries with similar supply chain dynamics, such as high-end artisanal products and other protein verticals, with IOTA’s technology at the forefront of this scalable expansion.

What’s Next

Kalalohko’s participation in the IOTA Business Innovation Program highlights how mission-driven builders are using open, permissionless technology to deliver transparency and accountability in critical industries.

Applications for this Business Innovation Program cycle closed on 31 December 2025. The Program will return soon with a new structure – we'll be announcing the details soon.

In the meantime, if you have any questions, contact us at partnerships@iota.org.

Let’s build what the future needs.

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