Release of North Shore Blue Economy Initiative Phase I Findings
*** MEDIA ADVISORY ***
DATE: Friday, October 22
TIME: 9:00-10:30 a.m.
WHERE: Cape Ann Museum. In-person attendance is restricted due to COVID protocols,
please email Melinda Rose if you plan to attend in person.
Livestream access: www.streamography.com/northshoreblueeconomy
WHAT: The North Shore Blue Economy Phase I Findings and Vision Forward report and release
from the North Shore Blue Economy Initiative, led by the UMass Amherst Gloucester Marine Station
WHO: Sharing the report’s findings will be Katherine Kahl, extension assistant professor of sustainable fisheries
and coastal resilience at the UMass Amherst Gloucester Marine Station,
and Michael Goodman, professor of public policy and acting provost and vice chancellor of student affairs at UMass Dartmouth.
Also providing remarks will be Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito.
The North Shore Blue Economy (NSBE) Initiative will release its Phase 1 assessment and vision for the future of the area’s ocean resources for economic growth and ocean ecosystem health.
The NSBE has a 10-year goal to develop a regional blue economic development strategy for the North Shore region. While the region was defined for the purposes of the study as the 21 primarily coastal communities from Nahant in the south to the New Hampshire state line, “we welcome the involvement of all communities in the region to help assess strategies going forward,” Kahl said.
The study provides a comprehensive baseline assessment that quantifies the regional economic base, identifies leading and emerging industry clusters, provides a profile of the current regional population and workforce, and describes the composition, size and growth opportunities for Blue Economy businesses. The report shares findings and identifies opportunities to develop resilient, sustainable and equitable Blue Economy strategies and a vision forward to catalyze and capitalize upon them. The full report is available at www.umass.edu/nsblueeconomy.
The NSBE Phase I Advisory Committee includes representatives from the Gloucester Economic Development and Industrial Corporation, Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce, City of Gloucester, North Shore Technology Council, North Shore InnoVentures and Essex County Community Foundation. Economic analysis was led by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Public Policy Center, which closed in July 2020, and was completed by Springline Research Group. Additional financial support was provided by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, UMass Amherst Department of Environmental Conservation and the Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center, with outreach support from the UMass Amherst Center for Agriculture, Food & the Environment.
Contacts: Katherine Kahl, kkahl@umass.edu
Melinda Rose, melindarose@umass.edu