Convenings Promote Innovation for the Global Blue Economy

This month, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences — a national leader in building the blue economy through science — welcomed researchers from around the world and legislators from coastal states around the country for two blue economy-focused convenings.

The first event was an international gathering of scientists advancing a unique strategy for promoting integrated aquaculture systems to locally buffer ocean acidification and increase farmer revenue. The second was a productive stop along the bipartisan National Caucus of Environmental Legislators New England Blue Economy Tour that same week, giving the scientists and decisionmakers opportunities to engage and learn from each other.

Both gatherings showcased scientific advances that can support sustainable, ocean-based economic development and highlighted the benefits of combining government and private investment to promote bold innovation. They also both leveraged state-of-the-art convening facilities in Bigelow Laboratory’s recently opened Harold Alfond Center, which was made possible by the support of donors and the joint efforts of Senator Susan Collins, Senator Angus King, and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree.

On Oct. 6, scientists arrived at Bigelow Laboratory for a convening, funded by the World Wildlife Fund, to cultivate a global aquaculture research program on what’s become known as the “halo effect.”

Rising acidity damages shell-forming organisms, including commercially valuable shellfish species like mussels and oysters. In 2015, Bigelow Laboratory Senior Research Scientist Nichole Price and Susie Arnold, senior ocean scientist at the Island Institute, began to speculate whether they could use seaweed, grown alongside shellfish, to buffer that process and ensure the long-term viability of the shellfish industry in a changing ocean.

With funding from the NOAA Saltonstall-Kennedy program, they began running experiments in 2016 and showed that seaweed not only absorbs carbon dioxide, it also increases dissolved oxygen, reduces nutrient loading, and dampens storm surge. That halo of improved water quality means increased shellfish production and a potential new revenue stream for farmers.

Since then, the effort has expanded well beyond Maine.

“That’s the basic tenet of science,” Price said. “We found a pattern once. Can others find it again using similar methods somewhere else?”

First, WWF invested to expand the study to Norway and Alaska and determine if the results were reproducible on other farms. In 2022, the team received funding from the US Department of Agriculture to engage with farmers in Rhode Island and Florida. In 2024, they were invited by the DOE Advanced Research Projects-Energy MARINER program to engage with scientists conducting similar work in Santa Barbara, the Faroe Islands, and South Korea. Later, they connected with a NOAA-funded project in Japan and other research teams in Bangladesh, Namibia, and Chile.

The convening this month provided the first opportunity to bring together all of those researchers — representing almost every continent and a broad diversity of aquaculture systems and environments — to begin a first-of-its-kind global analysis of this work.

“It’s been a 10-year process of bringing together different people and complementary funding sources,” Price said. “There’s a hotbed of activity now, and there’s so much data that’s been accumulated, which made now the perfect moment to meet.”

Over the several days of the workshop, the researchers got the quintessential Maine experience, including a stay at the Linekin Bay Resort and a tour aboard Bigelow Laboratory’s R/V Bowditch to learn more about Maine’s aquaculture industry. They brainstormed ideas for scientific publications and developed an accord for sharing data. The main focus, Price said, was to build trust and develop a common language, laying the groundwork for successful collaboration going forward.

A subset of the team, she added, hopes to gather next at the international Ocean Sciences Meeting in Glasgow, in addition to regular virtual convenings, to keep the momentum going.

On the final day of the convening, the team presented their work to the WWF Aquaculture Team, as well as the legislators during the latter’s half-day visit to Bigelow Laboratory.

The attendees of NCEL’s Blue Economy Tour included state senators, representatives, and legislative staffers from New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Maryland, Oregon, Maine, and Georgia, as well as guest speakers from research institutions and nonprofits across the region.

The tour provided an opportunity for them to learn from leading experts about potential blue economy solutions and innovations that can strengthen local economies in their own states. The Bigelow Laboratory visit highlighted the institute’s cutting-edge research and innovation in algae and seaweed science, ocean monitoring and forecasting, and blue biotechnology.

Legislators met with Bigelow Laboratory scientists to explore how the institute’s research is transforming ocean science into real-world economic opportunity.

Participants learned from Mike Conathan and Blaine Grimes, two consultants with decades of experience, about the birth and evolution of Maine’s Blue Economy Task Force and how the emerging blue economy builds on Maine’s strong heritage industries. They heard from Beth Orcutt, Bigelow Laboratory vice president for research, on new marine biotech-focused initiatives, highlighting the importance of state investment to attract the global investors needed to make these efforts self-sustaining. They discussed the challenges facing the working waterfront and learned about how to stand up analogous bodies in their own state, the importance of seafood and aquaculture research programs, and more.

“We were honored to host members of NCEL and share how Maine’s ocean science community is driving innovation for a sustainable future,” Orcutt said. “Our work at the intersection of science, technology, and policy exemplifies the potential of the blue economy to support our environment and our economy.”

These events are just two of several that Bigelow Laboratory is involved in this month, all of which provide opportunities for entrepreneurs, researchers, and community leaders to pull together science, policy, and industry to grow the blue economy. Earlier this month, institute researchers participated in the University of Maine Blue Economy Innovation Summit and the BioME Annual Conference. On October 21, the forum is open again to host the Maine Blue Carbon Network Annual Symposium. On October 23, Bigelow Laboratory is also co-hosting the inaugural Maine Algae Science Day at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, and on October 24, Bigelow Laboratory staff are participating in the Blue Economy Investment Summit at the Roux Institute.

Photo captions:

Photo 1: Bigelow Laboratory Senior Research Scientist Nichole Price addresses the WWF Aquaculture Team and NCEL group on the final day of the convening (Credit: Beth Orcutt).

Photo 2: Researchers from the Halo scientific convening pose for a photo at Bigelow Laboratory (Credit: Abby Jones).

Photo 3: Legislators learn about blue economy solutions as part of the NCEL Blue Economy tour (Credit: Beth Orcutt).