Blue Technology and the Blue Economy

What does “maritime” mean in the 21st century? What is the future of our industrial, economic, nutritional, social, and cultural connections to the ocean from a maritime perspective? Mystic Seaport Museum is laying the groundwork with new scholarship, research, collections, partnerships, exhibitions, and programs to connect our rich maritime heritage of the past with emerging maritime industries of the present and future. When the Charles W. Morgan was launched in 1841, the vessel represented the height of maritime technological advancement for the industry, purpose-built for the exploitation of whales, the first blue economy at a global scale. As the Museum approaches its centennial, what does blue economy look like now?

Entrepreneurs are working with scientists and policymakers throughout the world to explore technology innovations that support a range of maritime industries, including aquaculture of kelp and oysters, improved ship design and propulsion solutions for global shipping, unmanned robotics for data collection and undersea resource management, and cosmetics and pharmaceuticals derived from seaweed and fish byproduct. The markets benefiting from these blue technology innovations make up the blue economy.

Aquaculture is a major regional industry in southern New England. GreenWave is a Connecticut-based incubator nonprofit devoted to encouraging and developing a regenerative sugar kelp industry. Sugar kelp is a fast-growing superfood that absorbs carbon and nitrogen from the water and provides a base for food, beauty, and health products. The kelp industry is one of the most promising industries worldwide towards a sustainable global economy and ocean health, bringing new opportunities to coastal communities around the world with low-cost entry.

In rethinking the fish industry, the Iceland Ocean Cluster provides incubator opportunities for new start-ups for research and development, and the organization itself has launched an economically sustainable project called 100% Fish. According to its research, the average raw material utilization rate of cod, one of the most overly exploited fish in the world’s oceans, is only a little over 50 percent. By connecting fishers with investors and innovators in new product development and technologies, they are already averaging 80 percent use of each fish. This means fewer fish for greater economic value and less waste.

BioFeyn, a biotechnology innovator, creates customized nutrient-dense aquafeed for fish farming, increasing efficiencies and drastically reducing carbon emissions inherent in more traditional methods of production. Beta Hatch uses biotech to produce enormous numbers of insects as a base for aqua and other animal feed, which uses only 2 percent of the water needed to produce other forms of protein. In a fascinating use of what is no longer futuristic technology, facial recognition software is being implemented in salmon farming by aquaculture company Cermaq Global to better evaluate the individual health of their stock.

There are hundreds of examples of blue technology innovations worldwide that include regionally based Jaia Robotics’ micro-sized autonomous marine vehicles and Flux Marine’s electric outboards. On a more global scale, there are incredible new technologies for radical shipping container design and propulsion strategies; wave energy; and massive state-of-the-art research vessels like OceanXplorer, an 87-meter research vessel with an incredible array of media technology and outreach.

Mystic Seaport Museum is exploring new partnerships and opportunities to expand our interpretation of what maritime industry, application, policy, and design mean as we move forward in the 21st century. We invite rising blue economy innovators to be part of history.

Christina Connett Brophy, PhD, Senior Vice President of Curatorial Affairs