Quick Dips
Curated topical articles on the Blue Economy

What does the Biden presidency hold for ocean sustainability?

World Ocean Initiative, The Economist Group Energy Solutions Fisheries & Aquaculture Plastics & Pollution

A major drive to promote offshore renewable energy, sustainable aquaculture and coastal restoration while redoubling international commitments is likely.

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Marine waste turned into beach cleaning equipment

Charley Adams, BBC News Plastics & Pollution

A charity dedicated to clearing the planet of rubbish two minutes at a time has created a beach cleaning station made out of marine litter.

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New Post-Consumer Plastic Waste Recycling Plant from TOMRA and Borealis

Ben Messenger, Waste Management World Plastics & Pollution

TOMRA and Borealis have begun operations of start of their advanced mechanical recycling demo plant in Lahnstein, Germany.

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Webinar: The Path to a Sustainable Ocean Economy: U.S. Launch of the Ocean Panel Transformations and Report

World Resources Institute

As the world looks to recover from COVID-19 and the economic fallout, a sustainable ocean economy can help solve global challenges and make communities stronger.

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Seagrass 'Neptune balls’ sieve millions of plastic particles from water, study finds

Agence France-Presse, The Guardian Plastics & Pollution

Underwater seagrass in coastal areas appear to trap plastic pollution in natural bundles of fibre known as “Neptune balls”, researchers have found.

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First-Ever U.S.-Accredited, Grid-Connected Wave Energy Test Site Makes Critical Advances Toward 2022 Commissioning

Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Energy Solutions

Oregon State University (OSU) has completed the design phase of PacWave South, the first accredited, grid-connected, prepermitted wave energy test facility in the United States, and will soon initiate procurement and construction.

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‘Ocean 100’: Small Group of Companies Dominates Ocean Economy

Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, Duke University

Most of the revenues extracted from use of the world’s oceans is concentrated among 100 transnational corporations, which have been identified for the first time by researchers at Duke University and the Stockholm Resilience Centre at Stockholm University.

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Women in aquaculture: Emily Selinger

Bonnie Waycott, The Fish Site Fisheries & Aquaculture

Born in Freeport, Maine, Emily Selinger quickly fell in love with working on the water. After getting a captain’s licence and working on schooners along the East Coast, she returned to Freeport and set up her own oyster farm, Emily’s Oysters.

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Help UK seas recover to deliver £50bn in benefits, report urges

Emily Beament, Yahoo! Finance Energy Solutions Fisheries & Aquaculture Plastics & Pollution Shipping & Ports Tourism

Restoring the UK’s seas from their damaged state could give a £50 billion boost to the economy, create thousands of new jobs and help the climate crisis, a report says.

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Will 2021 Be the Year Offshore Wind Power Finally Takes Off?

Tara Lohan, The Revelator Energy Solutions

A presidential administration ready to tackle climate change may help — but it’s the years of planning that could really pay off.

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MSC: World Missing Out on Nutrition for 72 Million Due to Overfishing

Perishable News Fisheries & Aquaculture

The Marine Stewardship Council says the world is missing out on enough protein to meet the yearly needs of 72 million people, because not all fisheries have been sustainably managed.

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Clothes washing linked to ‘pervasive’ plastic pollution in the Arctic

Damian Carrington, The Guardian Plastics & Pollution

The Arctic is “pervasively” polluted by microplastic fibres that most likely come from the washing of synthetic clothes by people in Europe and North America, research has found.

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More than 50 countries commit to protection of 30% of Earth's land and oceans

Patrick Greenfield and Fiona Harvey, The Guardian Energy Solutions Fisheries & Aquaculture Plastics & Pollution Shipping & Ports Tourism

A coalition of more than 50 countries has committed to protect almost a third of the planet by 2030 to halt the destruction of the natural world and slow extinctions of wildlife.

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How to map the seabed from the sky

The Economist

A new type of sonar promises better oceanic cartography.

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Seaweed could unlock entirely new industry in the Bay of Plenty

Shannon Redstall, Newshub Fisheries & Aquaculture

A state-of-the-art aquaculture facility at Waikato University is breeding seaweed to help researchers harness its full potential.

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Ørsted, Siemens Gamesa Kickstart Offshore Wind to Hydrogen Project

Adnan Durakovic, Offshore Wind Biz Energy Solutions

Ørsted, Siemens Gamesa, ITM Power, and Element Energy have been awarded EUR 5 million in funding to demonstrate and investigate a combined wind turbine and electrolyser system designed for operation in marine environments.

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Banks Called Out For Their Role In Financing Plastic Pollution

Mike Scott, Forbes Plastics & Pollution

The pressure to clean up plastic pollution faded in 2020 thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to a surge in the use of plastic in PPE and to keep food and other purchases safe.

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Why Plastic Pollution Is a Producer Responsibility

Alex Truelove, The Revelator Plastics & Pollution

We won’t be able to stem the tide of plastic waste until manufacturers are held accountable for their products.

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Oyster Farms Lead to Rise in Maryland Aquaculture

Michael Short, Delmarva Correspondent, Lancaster Farming Fisheries & Aquaculture

Aquaculture is on the rise in Maryland and much of that consists of growing oysters. Oysters are placed in mesh cages and then put in the water to grow until they reach market size. The Maryland Farm Bureau Winter Webinar Series focused on aquaculture on Tuesday, Jan. 5.

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Muggi tray inventor keen to close the marine plastic pollution loop

Olivier Vergnault, In Your Area Plastics & Pollution

Serial inventor David Trotter, the man behind the Muggi trays is keen to use plastic from the sea and close the plastic pollution loop.

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