110th Edition
Hi everyone!
If you happen to be in NYC next week, stop by this Eco Happy Hour next Wednesday. Also, applications to the sixth cohort of SeaAhead are open until October 22nd.
News
Researchers analyzed nitrogen isotopes in fossil plankton shells (foraminifera) to reconstruct Pacific Ocean upwelling during the warm Pliocene epoch and found that, despite higher temperatures, nutrient-driven upwelling persisted—suggesting potential climate resilience in the tropical Pacific food web.
A major utility in the Pacific Northwest has signed on to support a wave energy test site in Newport, Oregon (PacWave), agreeing to purchase power from early ocean wave projects and helping move wave energy from lab trials toward grid-connected reality.
Bedrock Ocean Exploration and PlanBlue have formed a strategic partnership to combine Bedrock’s electric autonomous underwater vehicle surveys with PlanBlue’s AI-powered seafloor imaging and analytics.
The Blue Echo Exhibition, currently on display at AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles until October 24th, invites audiences to listen, feel, and reflect on issues facing the ocean. You can learn more about the various mediums they are using for this connection here.
Multigen Gadus has proposed a “Protected Farming” site in Norwegian waters to reduce environmental risk while producing up to 14,000 tonnes per year. This would be a closed, zero-emission aquaculture system for salmon and cod that incorporates double-walled steel containment, virus-level water treatment, and full waste capture.
Opportunities
Carbon to Sea Initiative has announced that they are accepting applications for Ripple Impact Travel Grants to enable greater participation at COP30 by individuals from underrepresented geographies. Apply here by October 15th.
Applications are open for the sixth cohort of SeaAhead’s BlueSwell program until October 22nd. You can learn more about the program here. If anyone would like to connect directly with the SeaAhead team before applying, you can fill out this quick interest form, which has been provided to me for Seaking Blue readers by SeaAhead.
The ‘Our Shared Ocean’ Mobility and Travel Grants 2025 program offers funding to support research conferences, training courses, and research visits, primarily for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in partnership with Irish institutions. Remaining submission deadline is on November 7, 2025.
The COP Special Envoy for Oceans is seeking innovative initiatives that tackle the climate crisis through coastal and marine solutions. Learn more here and apply by November 21st.
Apply to the first Nordic accelerator for the blue economy by December 5th.
Applications are open for the Great Lakes Blue Tech Challenge. Apply here.
Applications are open for call for projects issued to the scientific community throughout the European Economic Area (EEA) on the topic of Ocean and Coastal Ecosystems.
Hatch Blue, an aquaculture and alternative seafood investor, is looking for startups to join their accelerator program, in which they will invest $75,000 in each successful applicant.
Apply to Katapult’s Ocean Accelerator program that is designed to guide founders through complex entrepreneurial issues, add structure, and help raise a startup’s next round.
Fair Carbon has launched a Blue Carbon Academy that aims to help with the fine-tuning of the design of a Blue Carbon project.
Join the Blue Growth Community to get access to opportunities, expertise, and connections as an innovator.
Events
The Ocean Progress Symposium 2025 is taking place online TOMORROW 3:30 - 5:30PM EDT.
The next Ocean Nexus monthly webinar will be on October 15th on the topic of “Recent Trends in Ocean Knowledge and Governance Capacity”.
The next part of the NTC Ocean Series is the webinar “The Future of Marine CDR: Scaling Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement with Planetary” on October 16th.
The webinar “Catalytic Capital for Climate and Ocean: Unlocking Philanthropy for Impact Investing” will be taking place on Oct 16, 2025 12:30PM ET.
Peace Boat is hosting the Blue Innovation Reception onboard Peace Boat in NYC on October 17th. Register here.
Register for the Ocean Hackathon 2025 that will be taking place from October 17th-19th in Paris.
The Ocean Hackathon Cape Town will be occurring Fri 17 October - Sun 19 October. Register here.
One Ocean Week kicks off in Seattle on October 20th. Check out all of the events on Luma here.
Tune into the webinar entitled Indigenous Perspectives on Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal on October 22nd.
The Blue Economy Investment Summit will be occurring in Portland, Maine, on October 24th. You can register here.
The Seaworthy Collective Startup Showcase is on October 25th at the Miami Beach Bandshell. Get your tickets here.
The Ocean Exchange 2025 will be hosted in Fort Lauderdale, FL, from October 26-28.
Ocean Floor Explore will be taking place from October 26-29, 2025 in Victoria, Canada.
On December 2nd-3rd, the Ocean Frontier Institute will be hosting “CONVERGE CDR Forum: Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal in Canada”. Register here.
Learning
The IUCN published a guidebook for assessing and improving social equity in marine conservation.
A new study of Fiji’s barrier reef systems reveals that, despite losing over half of their hard coral cover to the extreme waves of Tropical Cyclone Winston in 2016, reefs demonstrated remarkable resilience, showing rapid coral recovery and stable fish biomass within four years. This highlights the importance of identifying and protecting naturally resilient reef sites in a warming climate.
In this article, scientists are warning that many ocean-based climate interventions—like seaweed farming, coral engineering, ocean alkalinity, and deploying nutrients—are being pursued too quickly and with weak governance, creating risks of ecological and social harm unless regulation, oversight, and stakeholder involvement are strengthened at local, national, and global levels.
Here is a recording of a webinar entitled “Are ERW and OAE ready for carbon removal certification?”
Companies doing the work
Thalasso AS is collecting sargassum before it hits the beach and turning it into pharmaceuticals in addition to other products.
Algas Organics is making fertilizer and bioplastics derived from sargassum.