THE OCEAN ENTERPRISE
To frame Day 1, Chris Ostrander, CEO of the Marine Technology Society (MTS), defined the Ocean Enterprise—the central theme of the day—as comprising “industry, academic, and government entities that support ocean observing, deliver ocean data and services, and enable the growth of a sustainable Blue Economy.”
The opening keynote was delivered by Joel Johnson, CEO and President of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, who expanded on the marine sanctuary contributions to the Blue Economy and provided key anecdotes of how sanctuaries, like Thunder Bay and Flower Garden Banks, are at the foundation of inter-sector collaboration between offshore energy, maritime defense, research, and more.
“The marine economy overall is booming—2% of GDP, millions of jobs are part of this infrastructure, but what’s exciting is its acceleration. The marine economy is growing 2x as fast as the overall economy. It’s being fueled by this exploration, innovations, and cooperation between ocean sector communities.”
In one example, Johnson pointed to a “Sanctuary Sound,” a partnership between NOAA, the US Navy, that analyzes ocean acoustics to inform winning maritime decisions.
“This is the Ocean Enterprise at work, where conservation and national security align, when new technologies can be deployed, and blue innovation can drive local economic growth. But the full potential of places, like sanctuaries and other marine protected areas, won’t be realized unless we address the barriers that are holding them back.”
Following the opening keynote, an engrossing series of discussions between industry, academic, and NGO leaders—from Seabed 2030, L3Harris, and Seaworthy Collective, to name a few—examined some of those barriers and focused on how the Ocean Enterprise is influencing measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV), innovation and commerce, and decision-making on critical problems around the globe. Panelists stressed the value of sound science and data for ocean management plans and shared how collaborations between mainstay industry players and new-to-the-scene startups pushed forward blue solutions.
A BLUE-TECH COMPETITION
EarthX partner and Brave New Ocean conference curator Ocean Exchange is a global ecosystem aimed at accelerating innovation for the Blue Economy. In a mini-distilled version of Ocean Exchange’s mainstay high-stakes pitch competition, seven up-and-coming blue-tech startups showcased their groundbreaking ideas to catalyze transformative action in ocean sustainability.
Coming out on top, Ceretune LLC secured a $25,000 award—provided by EarthX and the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation—with its Fibrous Aquatic Bioscaffolds.
During the competition, Founder Reid Barnett made a compelling pitch: “Per acre, we can absorb 1 metric ton of nitrogen, 200 kg of phosphorus, 40 metric tons of CO2 removal. And when we’re done, the entire system—material, plants, and all—can be post-processed for a secondary market. We can generate about $6,000 of biochar per acre, $5,200 carbon credits in that same space, and [valued in the state of North Carolina] our nutrient offsets are valued anywhere from $60,00–650,000 per acre depending on the watershed.”
Additional blue tech startup competitors included: Actea Inc—which is applying machine learning to ocean climate modeling; Atdepth—which produces purpose-driven and accurate ocean digital twins; Fathom Science—which leverages state-of-the-art data analytics, modeling, and predictive technologies to deliver precise and reliable ocean intelligence; Nucleic Sensing Systems—an autonomous DNA and RNA biosensor company; Onvector LLC—a developer of non-chemical water treatment technologies which utilize plasma; and Salient—a weather forecast provider that uses novel ocean and land-surface data.
HEALTHY OCEAN, HEALTHY INVESTMENT
On the final day of EarthX, retired Rear Admiral and former Administrator of NOAA Tim Gallaudet expressed his thoughts on the most productive path forward, one that not only supports a health ocean but also healthy return on investment for all stakeholders.
Touching on some of the main pillars of NOAA—such as ocean research, weather forecasting, conservation, and uncrewed systems—Gallaudet shared how past NOAA missions exemplified the framework for successful and positive collaboration between private industry and the government while also contributing fruitful economic benefits.
Leaving EarthX, there’s no question that the Blue Economy is rife with opportunity. The ocean sector community is home to a growing and talented community of ambitious and knowledgeable people paving the way for economic, conservation, and technology wins alike.
This feature appeared in ON&T Magazine’s 2025 May Edition, Oceanography & Remote Monitoring, to read more access the magazine here.
