For years, stakeholders across the responsible seafood industry have identified the need for a mechanism to track individuals and projects worldwide.
The Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions (The Alliance) has solved this need with SeaHive, an interactive tool that connects seafood experts and initiatives around the globe.
“Players and projects in the seafood industry change so quickly, it can be hard to keep track of them all,” said Andrea O’Donnell of Ipswich Shellfish Group and member of Sea Pact. “Being positioned in the middle of the supply chain, having access to SeaHive helps us stay more connected with colleagues in other sectors of the industry and in the loop with current projects.”
The Alliance co-designed SeaHive with support from Seafood 2030 and a diverse working group of 15 members of the Alliance Global Hub representing different seafood stakeholder groups. The goal of the project was to facilitate connections amongst individuals working in the seafood space to increase opportunities for collaboration and overall collective impact, one of the main objectives of the Alliance. Users can discover what projects others are contributing to and where they are working, which ultimately helps reduce the redundancy of efforts as well.
SeaHive is designed to support networking between individuals. New users will create a profile on the SeaHive landing page by answering six questions. Based on the information provided, suggested connections are automatically generated and contact information is shared. Users can also discover connections by exploring interest areas or geographic regions on a rotating globe. The power of SeaHive’s connectivity can be utilized in a variety of ways.
“SeaHive will be a useful resource to check in with before beginning a new project to make sure there isn’t overlap of efforts or funding,” said Kathleen McDavitt, US Market Development Manager at the Aquaculture Stewardship Council. “It is also a helpful way for us to find new consultants and partners to strengthen our work since I can search by topic and expertise.”
The Alliance launched SeaHive internally to its Global Hub members in August and is excited to launch the tool publicly now to anyone interested in exploring and connecting. This public launch coincides with the Alliance’s 2022 Annual Conference on November 14-17, where a virtual plenary session will explore three new seafood mapping systems recently or soon to be released. Representatives from Seafood 2030, Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI), and the Alliance will discuss how the tools have taken very different, yet complimentary, development approaches and how they can come together to address the complexity of this promising sector.
“The seafood system is a unique space in which there are both great opportunities and challenges to advance sustainability,” said Meaghan Hudgins, Senior Director of Operations and Development at the Alliance. “We’re hopeful these mapping tools will help provide clarity and connection across stakeholders.”
The Alliance team plans to continue evolving SeaHive over time to keep pace with the needs and interests of its users. There is no fee to join and a quick start guide to getting started can be found on the Alliance’s website.
