OpenSeas launches at Oceans of Innovation conference on August 3rd, 2017

The New Zealand seafood industry has launched OpenSeas, a first of its kind information portal, at the industry’s 2017 conference, Oceans of Innovation, in Wellington. The programme has been a year in the making, bringing together over 20 industry experts and five regulatory agencies to contribute to nearly 40 pages of website content.

OpenSeas will provide businesses and other interested parties a single, comprehensive source of information about the environmental, social and production credentials of the New Zealand seafood industry. OpenSeas does not purport to verify individual product claims. It is simply a systematic collation and presentation of available information.

Information contained in the site covers New Zealand’s approach to sustainable use of its vast marine environment, the systems and processes used to ensure supply chain integrity and the legal protections for the welfare of workers and indigenous communities involved in seafood production. The site also features individual species profiles, which include the most up-to-date harvest details and independent environmental certification or risk assessment scores.

OpenSeas focuses on presenting short, digestible pieces of information about the New Zealand seafood industry, allowing users to retain and reuse the information within their own businesses. Ultimately, it should enable customers of New Zealand seafood to make informed choices in line with their own sourcing policies. Sitting behind the site, is a full suite of reports, supplementary documentation (such as standards, certificates and guidance), legislation and digital references. These details can be found by navigating through the site, empowering users to access the necessary level of detail they require. All information on the site is traceable back to the source document.

For launch, the site has focused on building a solid foundation about the systems and requirements of the seafood industry. Over time, the programme will continue to grow and expand, adding more details, data, reports and references relevant to seafood sale and procurement. The growth of the programme will be driven by the queries and needs of business users.

OpenSeas is made to be shared. Links, factsheets, reports and references can be found throughout the site. The professionally designed format makes it easy to download, share soft copies and print hard copies.

OpenSeas is named after, and a product of, “open collaboration”, which can also be found in many other instances of creative commons like Wikipedia and TEDx. The programme is designed to assist business to business dialogue but is open, free of charge, for anyone to use.

OpenSeas is currently undergoing independent certification for the programme’s Quality Management System. Achieving certification will be a reflection of the programme’s commitment to meeting the information needs of businesses while ensuring accuracy and transparency are not compromised. The aim is to achieve certification within the first six months of the programme.

For more information about the programme, visit www.openseas.org.nz or contact [email protected].