Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation

The blue economy is an area of growing investment and evolution across industries, governments, and communities. The rising global population coupled with rapid development in technology and trade has spurred governments across the world to look to the ocean for new sources of economic growth. While the ocean has historically been seen as an endless source of protein and extractive resources, the impacts of climate change are revealing the fallacy of this long-held assumption. Ocean acidification, warmer temperatures, and rising sea levels are resulting in habitat and biodiversity loss, extreme weather patterns, and changes to fish stock compositions and migration patterns. As a result of these changes, it is increasingly important to ensure a sustainable coexistence between humans and marine ecosystems. By developing a blue economy that prioritizes not only economic growth, but also the health of the environment and the livelihoods of local communities, it is possible to build a lasting blue economy for generations to come. The following paper analyzes existing blue economy frameworks utilized around the world to inform a model that assesses the feasibility of implementing blue economy programs in U.S. National Marine Sanctuaries.