130th Edition
Hi everyone!
SF Climate Week is coming up next week! Please report back if you attend any cool events.
Back to it!
News
A mysterious marine contamination event along Papua New Guinea’s New Ireland coast has killed thousands of fish and sickened hundreds of residents, highlighting an unresolved environmental and public health crisis with unknown causes and significant impacts on coastal communities.
The European Commission reports that the blue economy is rapidly attracting growing investor interest and billions in private capital, driven by rising dedicated funds and broader market participation, while still facing challenges in scaling and securing later-stage investment.
Uluu, a company that has created a seaweed-based replacement for plastics, has just announced that they received $2.1 million in grant funding from the Australian Government. 1
This LinkedIn post highlights Australia’s accelerating push toward its first offshore wind auction in August 2026, emphasizing that success in this emerging market will hinge on overcoming a critical “metocean data challenge,” as high-quality ocean and weather data are essential to de-risk projects, inform design, and attract investment.
An article in The Guardian explores a growing shift in environmental research where Indigenous knowledge systems, that are rooted in generations of observation and stewardship, are being “braided” with Western science to restore ecosystems, strengthen food sovereignty, and reshape how knowledge is valued, while emphasizing the need for equitable collaboration and Indigenous leadership.
A decades-long pollution reduction effort in Marseille shows that once wastewater and coastal contamination were curbed, vital Posidonia seagrass meadows rebounded dramatically, demonstrating the power of passive restoration and nature’s capacity to recover when human pressures are removed.
Coastal Measures has raised $1.2 million in funding to expand its AI-powered platform that standardizes fragmented ocean and coastal data, enabling operators, insurers, and engineers to better assess risk and make informed decisions in coastal environments.
Opportunities
OceanHub Africa has opened applications for the 7th cohort of their accelerator program, which will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Applications close April 17th.
Upwell LATAM has opened applications for their milestone-driven commercialization program that aims to pair LATAM ocean startups with industry partners for real-world deployment. Their applications are due May 15th.
The AquaScale BIM Innovation Studio+ will be in Galway, 26-28 May. It is a three-day intensive program that aims to bring together a small group of aquatech enterprises for pressure testing, execution planning, etc.
The newest iteration of UCSC’s Blue Pioneer’s program has been announced, this year taking place as a two week immersion acceleration in Zanzibar. Check here for more details.
Canada’s first blue economy accelerator Blue Action Canada has opened applications for their 2026 cohort.
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
This Thursday, April 16th at 5PM in Miami, the Seaworthy Collective is hosting a happy hour on the topic “The Coastal Shield: Leveraging new technologies for coastal safety and infrastructure”.
SF Climate Week
April 18th at 10AM: Ocean Beach Refuse Refuse Ocean Beach Cleanup
April 20th
7AM: Surfers in Climate surf sesh in Pacifica
3PM: “From Ocean to Action: Expeditions & Solutions for Ocean Plastic”
April 21st-24th: Sea Trials with Photon Marine- book a slot here.
April 21st
April 22nd
April 23rd
At 4PM: “Autonomy at Sea: Panel & Happy Hour”
April 24th at 1PM: “Rising Tide (LIVE) & Book Signing”
At UW in Seattle, the TIDES Conference 2026: Igniting the Blue Economy of the Pacific Northwest will be taking place on Thursday, April 23, 2026.
Driftlines, an Ocean Justice Film Festival supported by The Ocean Nexus, will be hosted at URI on April 27th and 29th.
From April 28th – 30th, the Carbon to Sea Initiative will be having their annual convening in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
The WeOcean International Workshop will be taking place in Faro, Portugal from May 4-6.
At the LAB Miami, the Seaworthy Collective will be hosting their 2026 startup showcase on May 20th.
The 7th World Conference for Marine Biodiversity will be taking place in Belgium 17-20 November 2026. You can register here.
Learning
In this article from the fall, The Nature Conservancy highlights how, when designed with nature-based principles, offshore wind infrastructure can go beyond clean energy production to actively restore marine habitats, turning turbine foundations into artificial reefs that support biodiversity and local ecosystems.
Addressing persistent inequities in ocean use, this study introduces the Ocean Equity Index (OEI): a structured, multi-criteria framework designed to measure, compare, and improve equity across ocean initiatives, enabling more evidence-based and inclusive decision-making from local to global scales.
Companies doing the work
Candela is working on the future of public transit with their electric hydrofoil ferries.
THE GOVERNMENT? My American mind is struggling to comprehend the competence. Could you imagine governments could spend money on forward-thinking environmental innovation instead of getting us deeper into wars no one wants? I digress…