In Japan, DoCoMo Sentsu, Inc. is working on system to barcode fish immediately after it is caught. This will allow people to determine exactly when and where a fish was caught, who caught it. They will be able to check this information from their cell phones. This way, the end customer can determine the exact provenance of the fish. Being a person who loves to eat, I think this is pretty cool. Could you imagine if it was used in other food industries as well? Contaminated food could be easily tracked back to its source, and customers could make more informed decisions about what food they choose to eat.
You can read about the item a bit more at the Daily Yomiuri On-Line. I saw the item linked from Engadget.
Of course, I wonder if they are marking individual herrings….