115th Edition
New industry partnerships and research on the interdisciplinary nature of ocean sustainability work
Hi everyone!
Last week I decided to take an impromptu break from putting out a new edition to indulge in some rest, but I’m excited to get right back to it.
Last year, the Ocean Pavilion at COP29 published recordings of their sessions to Youtube, but it appears that hasn’t happened this time around (yet). If anyone comes across any recordings/reflections, please share!
News
Ebb Carbon has announced a partnership with the Saudi Water Authority (SWA) to integrate its electrochemical desalination technology into SWA’s network, a move that could enable up to 85 million tonnes of CO₂ removal annually while boosting freshwater output and turning waste-brine into valuable chemical by-products.
In Project Syndicate, authors Peter Bryant and Sindre Østgård argue that philanthropies and high-net-worth individuals represent a massive, yet largely untapped, capital source to accelerate the “blue economy,” offering triple-return benefits by helping build the financial infrastructure needed to channel investments into ocean-positive sectors.
INEOS, via its Greensand Future initiative, is repurposing the offshore Nini oil field beneath the North Sea into Europe’s first full-scale CO₂ storage site, planned to inject liquified carbon about 1,800 m under the seabed, with commercial operations slated to begin next year.
An independent review commissioned by Carbon to Sea evaluated the first ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) carbon credits, confirming that the measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) framework used meets scientific and transparency standards, marking a key step toward building trust and rigor in marine carbon removal.
During the record-setting 2025 hurricane season, NOAA deployed a fleet of uncrewed ocean robots and aerial drones to gather real-time ocean and atmospheric data from major storms, even including a first-ever in-storm data collection by a mini surface robot inside a Category 5 hurricane, helping improve hurricane forecasting models and enhance understanding of ocean-atmosphere interactions.
Flux Marine has raised $15 million to scale the production of their electric outboard, to move the company from customer-driven fleet testing to volume manufacturing.
[C]Worthy has secured new multi-year support from Ocean Resilience and Climate Alliance (ORCA) and the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation (PJMF) to scale its open-source modeling platform for marine carbon-dioxide removal (mCDR), strengthening measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) infrastructure necessary to advance ocean-based carbon removal responsibly.
Opportunities
Apply to the first Nordic accelerator for the blue economy by December 5th.
The Gulf of Maine Research Institute has opened applications for the BlueTech Boost, which is a 10-week hybrid incubator program. Applications are due on December 12th.
OceanHub Africa has opened applications for the 7th cohort of their accelerator program, which will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The first intake of the year (2026) begins in March.
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
On December 2nd-3rd, the Ocean Frontier Institute is hosting “CONVERGE CDR Forum: Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal in Canada”. Register here.
Carbon to Sea is hosting a webinar on December 4th on “Understanding Latest Environmental Safety Research for OAE”.
The 7th World Conference for Marine Biodiversity will be taking place in Belgium 17-20 November 2026. You can register here.
Learning
Take a look at this Frontiers Research Topic, developed by the Integrated Marine Biosphere Research (IMBeR) project, highlights interdisciplinary studies that bridge natural and social sciences to advance understanding of ocean–human systems, improve predictions of marine change, and strengthen sustainable ocean governance through integrated, policy-relevant research.
This paper outlines eight recommendations, ranging from recognizing Indigenous rights and knowledge pluralism to funding Indigenous-led research and pursuing iterative planning, to guide equitable and inclusive co-production of sustainable ocean governance with Indigenous and traditional knowledge holders.
Companies doing the work
Atlantic Fish Co uses cellular agriculture to develop the sustainable cultivated seafood. Learn more about their technology here.
Birch Biosciences recycles plastic using engineered enzymes to enable a circular plastic economy.