At the Gloucester Marine Station, we are working to uncover potential areas of growth for our regional blue economy.
Partnerships across business, civic leadership, academia, nonprofits, government agencies, and private funders are needed to advance regional strategies.
What is the blue economy?
The blue economy is the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and job creation. This means looking at how we can use ocean resources sustainably to work toward greater community and regional resilience—socioeconomically and ecologically. Traditional sectors of the marine economy include:
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Living Resources (fishing, aquaculture, seafood processing, seafood markets)
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Coastal Tourism and Recreation (boat dealers, restaurants, hospitality, marinas, scenic water tours)
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Ship and Boat Building and Repair (ships, recreational boats)
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Marine Transportation (deep sea freight, passenger ferries, port and harbor operations, warehousing)
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Marine Construction (dredging, facilities development)
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Offshore Minerals (oil and gas exploration, sand and gravel mining)
In 2021, we published a Phase I report assessing the 6 sectors above and also explored how coastal resilience, marine science and technology, and offshore wind intersect with emerging blue economy growth opportunities.
What have we learned so far?
A key finding from our 2021 report—a baseline economic assessment with focus group input from over 300 people across blue economy sectors—found that North Shore regional economic growth lies at the intersection of:
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Living resources
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Marine science and technology
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Potential offshore wind development in the Gulf of Maine
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Increasing financial investment in coastal resilience
This work has created a platform to advance the North Shore’s regional economic resilience. Read a summary of the 2021 report findings beginning on page 14 of the 2023 issue of Mass Benchmarks.
The 2019 Blue Economy ThinkLab, hosted by UMass Amherst Gloucester Marine Station with Essex County Community Foundation, launched this regional initiative.
North Shore Blue Economy reports
What are we doing now?
We've begun by working to understand the regional workforce that exists at the intersection of our areas of opportunity. Next steps include a focus on Resilience Workforce Training.
- Alongside a network of partners including MassHire’s North Shore Workforce Board, the City of Salem, and the Essex County Community Foundation, we have received an Equity Workforce Training Implementation grant.
- We are assessing short-term and long-term regional employment projections in clean energy fields, an evolving sector in the midst of major innovations.
- We are developing an innovative adult training program, with Essex Tech and Lynn Tech, that will focus on helping underrepresented individuals find their way into climate-critical career pathways.
Blue Economy News
See all newsThe Salem News article on the blue economy initiative at Gloucester Marine Station.
Article regarding the blue economy work being done at GMS.
