The World's First
Coral Traceability Solution

Supporting the future of sustainable trade, funded by the Australian Government's Reef Trust and delivered in partnership with the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW).
We invite industry stakeholders to join our Project Engagement Group to help shape this solution.
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Vision

To deliver greater transparency, bolstered social license to operate, and sustainability assurance to domestic and international markets by delivering the essential traceability infrastructure required to fulfil CITES obligations. The solution will transform record keeping and compliance from a burden into a competitive advantage that validates sustainable stewardship and secures global market access.

CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival of the species.

Mission

To deliver the world's-first coral traceability solution, using cutting-edge, secure technology to track and trace individual corals, supporting provenance recording and Australia's CITES obligations.

The Coral Traceability Solution will:

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support transparency and regulation of the coral trade for the Aquarium industry
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track and trace wild and captive bred coral through supply chains
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bolster public trust in fisheries products sourced from the fishery
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provide trust and assurance to domestic and international markets

The Australian Coral Trade Ecosystem

The Australian marine aquarium and coral fishery trade operates within a complex ecosystem of independent stakeholders. While the industry already meets world-leading standards for Sustainability and Legality, the supply chain currently lacks a common digital thread. The Coral Traceability Solution will connect these fragmented steps, creating the visibility essential for a truly secure and resilient trade.

The Solution: An End-to-End Digital Ecosystem

We are combining robust, marine-grade and live animal safe hardware with a secure digital platform to deliver the world's most trusted data required for CITES verification, linking the physical coral to its digital record.

Seamless Traceability Software

OriginsNext delivers the global benchmark for fishery traceability, a secure, scalable digital backbone that transforms complex regulatory data into a streamlined, real-time asset for government and industry.

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Support Export Processes: Support the export process of CITES Appendix II listed specimens from Australia and support streamlined export documentation.
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Supply Chain Traceability: Enhanced visibility of the specimen's journey through the supply chain, supporting the verification of provenance.
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Future-Ready Platform: A flexible solution that seamlessly connects with government and supports the demonstration of transparent, sustainable trade.
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Reliable Tracking Hardware

The solution utilises established Radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology that has been validated by government feasibility trials on coral. Research confirms this approach provides a safe, secure, and efficient method to uniquely identify every coral piece.

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Negligible Impact on Coral Health: Trials confirmed "no statistically discernible effect" on coral mortality, tissue loss, or bleaching compared to untagged control groups, supporting the organism's welfare.
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100% Retention & Readability: The hardware demonstrated exceptional durability in facility conditions, with tags remaining securely attached and fully readable throughout the entire trial period.
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Minimal Time Burden: For pre-chipped plugs, the research found "no increase in facility processing time," proving the technology integrates seamlessly into existing fishery workflows.
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Flexibility: The solution aims to be flexible to accommodate other individual identifier technology  and connectivity of existing record keeping systems.

Project Phases and Timeline

Nov 2025 - Feb 2026
Engage & Design

Co-designing the solution with industry and stakeholders to ensure it fits practical fishery operations.

Key Activities:

  • Stakeholder consultation workshops
  • Workflow mapping & requirements
  • Technical architecture design

Industry Benefits:

  • Solution tailored to real-world needs
  • Opportunity to shape system features
Mar 2026 - Sept 2026
Build & Validate

Developing the solution and rigorously testing and refining it with pilot users to ensure it meets the objectives.

Key Activities:

  • Platform build & integration
  • Security & penetration testing
  • Pilot testing with select operators

Industry Benefits:

  • Assurance of a secure, robust system
  • Validation of workflows before launch

From Oct 2026
Go-Live & Rollout

Full deployment of the solution for national use, international trade, and CITES reporting requirments.

Key Activities:

  • Industry-wide onboarding
  • Training & support rollout
  • Live transaction tracking

Industry Benefits:

  • Demonstrate sustainability credentials
  • Real-time inventory/order management

Frequently Asked Questions

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Can industry users provide input into the design of the solution?
Will the tracking hardware harm the coral?
How is this project funded?

Get Involved to shape the future of the Australian Coral Industry

We are committed to co-designing this solution with the people who power the industry. We invite fishers, exporters, and stakeholders to provide direct input, feedback, test the solution, and help it deliver real value for your business.

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