The "Fisheries and Aquaculture" Action of the Joint Research Centre Maritime Affairs Unit is actively pursuing the integration of genetics, genomics, chemistry and forensics to improve existing fisheries control and enforcement frameworks as well as traceability schemes. To this end it initiated a variety of projects participates in international research endeavours, and also published recently the JRC Reference Report "Deterring Illegal Activities in the Fisheries Sector".

"Fisheries and Aquaculture" conducts research and technology watch in forensic genetics and chemistry to detect the origin of fish and fish products. FishPopTrace is an on-going FP7 collaborative research project started in 2008 aiming at the development of traceability tools supporting a "from ocean to fork" approach through technologies based on molecular genetics, otolith microchemistry and morphometrics. "Fisheries and Aquaculture" is partner and, among other things, is in charge of integrating the project's genetic and chemical data into a seascape GIS framework.

STURSNIP is a small research project commissioned by JRC to develop Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms for sturgeon product traceability. JRC's role includes developing the project's database, the GIS visualization facilities and disseminating the results to the wider scientific community. STURSNIP is the most recent of a series of similar projects concerning origin assignment of EU commercial fish species.