Giles Cadman 
The blue economy perfectly aligns people, the planet, and profit. These are the three principles that drive everything I do, and the reason I work in the blue economy.
But what is the blue economy, and why is it important?
I love sharing the whys behind what I do, so here is a summary of what the blue economy is, and why I couldn’t imagine working on anything else.
Blue Economy Definition
First, let’s start with a quick definition of the blue economy; a modern term that was adopted by the UN only 10 years ago in 2012.
The blue economy is the sustainable use and development of ocean resources, including oceans, seas, and coasts, for the purpose of addressing climate change and creating economic growth.
Why I Support the Blue Economy
As an ecopreneur, I am always looking for potential in the environment. Naturally, I looked to the land first, but the green economy has almost hit its limit. Countless ecopreneurs, entrepreneurs, and business, have worked on countless projects related to the green economy, and we quickly running out of space.
Of course, the green economy still has potential to do good, but the blue economy has so much more.
And the absolute best thing about the blue economy is that it doesn’t interfere with the things that we need for life as we know it because almost nobody lives or works on the ocean.
While land-based aquaculture is important, it’s not enough. We also need to harvest fish from our oceans, so restorative aquaculture and artisanal fishing are essential to the future of aquaculture and the world.
Why Is the Blue Economy Important?
People should have a choice in their diet.
It is estimated that around 20% of the world’s population is a vegetarian or a vegan. And for some people, that is absolutely the right thing to do.
But for others, they have chosen this lifestyle because it’s the most sustainable and because it is the only option. Now what if they could eat sustainably, locally sourced seafood? And what if that seafood was part of a larger restorative aquaculture project, which rebalances the local eco-system and sequests carbon to reduce the Earth’s temperature? Those people might have made a different choice.
For me, that is the importance of the blue economy. Eating seafood is a dietary choice that everyone should have.
Who Benefits From the Blue Economy?
Some people benefit from the blue economy more than other, but I cannot emphasize enough that everyone benefits in one way or another.
Saying that, there is one community who benefits the most—the coastal community. When the blue economy is booming, it can lead to full employment and strong tourism (because who doesn’t want to eat fresh food by the seaside?) in coastal communities.
The high level of employment prevents fishing families from having to move to the cities and learn new trades. In short, the blue economy stops these important communities from diminishing, and instead helps them flourish.
The reason I am so focused on helping re-establish coastal towns is because I grew up in one. I simply can’t sit back and watch them decline when they have so much to offer.
