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Michael Conathan is the managing director of Upwell Collaborative and was one of the consultants supporting the work of the Blue Economy Task Force. He lives in South Portland.
The ocean is a tough place to do business. It’s wet, corrosive, cold, and generally inhospitable to most human activity. Weather, currents, and waves are all unpredictable and toss heavy, expensive equipment around like bathtub toys. Critters and plants much better adapted to life in these conditions are constantly getting in the way, latching onto sensitive instruments, and generally gumming up the works. And to top it all off, no one can own the ocean, so the laws and regulations that govern its use are especially squishy and uncertain.
Despite all these obstacles, Maine has an exceptional track record of supporting families, communities, and industries from the ocean’s bounty. Along more than 3,500 miles of shoreline from Lubec to Matinicus to Kittery, countless generations have built a life in, on, and around the water, typically with an underlying recognition that maintaining healthy natural resources is the best way to ensure a prosperous future.
All this points to Maine as an ideal place to be a national leader in growing what has come to be known as the blue economy — those businesses and industries that rely on or contribute to healthy oceans and coasts. However, there’s one small problem: other states are already way ahead of us in promoting this kind of economic development.
Recognizing this gap, last year the Maine Legislature established a Blue Economy Task Force to deliver an initial report on how the state can best capitalize on the opportunities emerging in this sector. Industries such as marine biotechnology, offshore renewable energy, and maritime and shipping modernization, and ocean data have grown dramatically in other parts of the country and the world. Meanwhile, innovation in legacy ocean industries like commercial and recreational fishing, aquaculture, ship and boatbuilding, and recreation and tourism, also represents a massive opportunity for our coastal communities to prosper. This despite battling headwinds from the extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and increasing water temperature that come with climate change, and the soaring cost of living and waterfront property values.
The task force was composed of over 30 leaders from businesses, research labs, universities, and nonprofit organizations around the state. Folks like lobster dealers, boatbuilders, oyster farmers, scientists, financiers, conservationists, and community leaders met regularly over a six-month period. Their work brought clarity and definition to what the blue economy means in Maine, and where our state has unique opportunities to grow and prosper.
They reviewed relevant reports and roadmaps such as the SEAMaine report, the Aquaculture roadmap, and the Maine Won’t Wait climate reports to take lessons learned from existing work. They listened to experts “from away” to learn where other states and countries are finding success. They visited businesses and laboratories engaged in relevant work. And they heard from over 100 additional businesses, entrepreneurs, researchers, investors, and communities in issue-specific consultation sessions.
In assessing Maine’s strengths in this field as well as our weaknesses, they created a report that identifies how Maine can cement its reputation as a national leader in particular sectors of the blue economy.
To do this, the task force made four recommendations to the Legislature. First, create a center for the blue economy to identify opportunities and coordinate activities. Second, actively promote blue economy opportunities within existing state offices and programs. Third, leverage our existing assets such as universities, independent research institutions, and community groups and strengthen existing networks. And fourth, continue to develop the work of the task force to dive deeper into the data, pinpoint the areas where Maine can excel, and establish metrics so we can track progress over time.
By focusing on the things Mainers know and our natural advantages, we can make Maine a leader in developing future industries in the communities we are proud to call home. While the ocean may be a tough place to do business, our track record of success proves we’re tough enough to make the ocean work for us.