Event-Based TraceabilityGDST and Wholechain

GDST and Wholechain

How the Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST) standard relates to Wholechain's events, and which GDST version differences affect how you record.

This article explains how the Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST) relates to Wholechain's events. For the basics of Wholechain events, start with Understanding Event-Based Traceability in Wholechain. To record events in the app, see the Wholechain Events Overview.

What GDST is

The Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST) is an industry-led initiative that publishes standards and guidelines for interoperable seafood traceability. Its goal is that traceability data from vessels, farms, processors, traders, and retailers can move between systems in a common form.

GDST organizes its standard around key data elements (KDEs), the pieces of information recorded for each step of a seafood supply chain, and around a common data format. GDST builds on EPCIS (Electronic Product Code Information Services, a GS1 standard for exchanging event data).

GDST is a standard, not a law. Whether you need to follow it usually depends on what your buyers or partners require.

How GDST relates to Wholechain

Wholechain supports GDST workflows. You record Wholechain events that match what happened. Wholechain handles the translation into GDST's data format internally, so you don't need to learn GDST's event vocabulary to use Wholechain.

This article explains how common seafood activities line up with Wholechain events, and where GDST versions differ in ways that affect how you record.

Using Wholechain does not by itself make you compliant with GDST or make your data accepted by a buyer. Check the GDST requirements and your partners' expectations for your role.

Which version applies to you

GDST publishes numbered versions of its standard.

  • GDST 1.2 was released in June 2023 and became effective in June 2024.
  • GDST 2.0 is the newer version. GDST's August 2026 announcement named September 1, 2026 as its release date, with a one-year transition period for solution providers from September 2026 to September 2027.

Wholechain supports GDST 2.0. Ask your buyers which version they require, and check thegdst.org for the current published text.

How seafood activities map to Wholechain events

Seafood activityWholechain eventNotes
Wild catch (fishing)CommissionStarts the recorded history of the catch.
HatchingCommissionStarts the recorded history of hatchery product.
Feed productionCommissionFeed context.
Farm harvestCommission, or TransformUse transform when you record upstream feed or hatchery history as inputs.
Processing (on land or on a vessel)TransformInputs become outputs.
Co-mingling (combining lots)TransformMany inputs, one output.
ShippingShip
ReceivingReceive
Transshipment (vessel to vessel)ShipSee Transshipment.
Changing a lot numberTransformSee Lot numbers.
End of lifecycle (GDST 2.0)DecommissionGDST 2.0 introduces a decommission event.

Not every operation uses every event. Choose the events that match what you do. See Which Event Should I Use?.

What GDST version differences mean for you

Commission. In GDST 1.2, commission-based workflows are limited to feed, hatching, farm harvest, and wild catch contexts. GDST 2.0 permits general commission events more broadly. A processor or brand that wants to start its own recorded history with a commission can do so more freely under 2.0. See Commission Events.

Transshipment. Under 1.2, Wholechain users record transshipment with a ship event, and 1.2 also required a transshipment business step. GDST 2.0 no longer requires that step. Wholechain supports 2.0. See Transshipment below.

General events and location types. In GDST 2.0, events are encoded as general events, which matches Wholechain's own event structure. GDST identifies what kind of activity each general event records through location types. You continue to record Wholechain events, and Wholechain handles the encoding.

Decommission. GDST 2.0 adds a decommission event, which lines up with Wholechain's Decommission event.

Transshipment

Transshipment means moving seafood from one vessel to another. In Wholechain you record it with a ship event, the same event you use for any outbound movement. Under GDST 1.2, transshipment also needed a transshipment business step. GDST 2.0 doesn't require it.

Lot numbers and transformation

In EPCIS, GDST, and FSMA 204, the only way to change a lot or serial number is a transformation. GDST expects a transformation to represent a real change to the product, such as processing or commingling.

Industry practice doesn't always match that. Many companies reassign lot numbers when they receive goods and their ERP assigns its own number, with no physical change. Wholechain supports keeping both numbers and the relationship between them. Wholechain's Traceability Lot Code feature also supports maintaining both. See Transform Events, the steps in Change the lot or serial number of a product, and the Traceability Lot Code (TLC) setting in Organization Settings > Account (see Account settings).

What information GDST asks for

GDST defines KDEs for each step. The five core Wholechain categories (location, item, quantity, lot or serial identifier, and event date and time) are a baseline, and GDST asks for more. Examples include vessel details and transshipment location for wild-caught seafood, and harvest dates, farming method, hatchery or broodstock source, and feed source for aquaculture. Which KDEs you need depends on your role and the GDST version. Check the GDST standard and ask support@wholechain.com if you want help mapping your process.

Sharing GDST data with partners

For GDST data to move between you and a partner, both systems need to support exchange. Recording a complete chain in Wholechain doesn't guarantee a partner's system receives or displays every upstream event. If your supplier uses a GDST-capable system and you want that data in Wholechain, check with the supplier's system whether it supports GDST or an integration with Wholechain. See Sharing data with other systems.

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