The Marine Biosecurity Porthole – a web-based information system on non-indigenous marine species in New Zealand

The Marine Biosecurity Porthole was created in 2010 as a collaboration between New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and the National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) to provide greater public access to information and data on non-indigenous marine species (NIMS) in New Zealand. The porthole is primarily an interactive mapping application that allows verified observations on the distribution of NIMS within New Zealand to be displayed. It draws upon data compiled from a range of funded surveys for NIMS, including a series of port biological baseline surveys and a continuing programme of targeted surveillance for high risk marine pests in major shipping ports and marinas. The data also include records from specimens reported via the passive surveillance system and identified through the Marine Invasives Taxonomic Service (MITS), a taxonomic clearing house service for suspect marine organisms, and observations of NIMS made through taxonomic and ecological research undertaken by NIWA. It currently contains information for over 3,600 native, cryptogenic and non-indigenous marine species with links to over 155,000 individual distribution records. Additional features include a searchable catalogue of relevant reports, papers and information about NIMS and on the surveys undertaken to obtain the data. The design and functionality of the portal have been refreshed to provide a better overall experience for users. New features will allow greater filtering and selection of distribution data, more content on NIMS within New Zealand, and connections to social media.