Blue growth is the long term strategy to support sustainable growth in the marine and maritime sectors as a whole. Seas and oceans are drivers for the European economy and have great potential for innovation and growth. It is the maritime contribution to achieving the goals of the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.
The 'blue' economy represents roughly 5.4 million jobs and generates a gross added value of almost €500 billion a year. However, further growth is possible in a number of areas which are highlighted within the strategy.
The strategy consists of three components:
1. Develop sectors that have a high potential for sustainable jobs and growth, such as:
a. aquaculture (Fisheries website)
b. coastal tourism
c. marine biotechnology
d. ocean energy
e. seabed mining
2. Essential components to provide knowledge, legal certainty and security in the blue economy
a. marine knowledge to improve access to information about the sea;
b. maritime spatial planning to ensure an efficient and sustainable management of activities at sea;
c. integrated maritime surveillance to give authorities a better picture of what is happening at sea.
2. Sea basin strategies to ensure tailor-made measures and to foster cooperation between countries
a. Adriatic and Ionian Seas
b. Arctic Ocean
c. Atlantic Ocean
d. Baltic Sea
e. Black Sea
f. Mediterranean Sea
g. North Sea
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As the European Commission prepares its new guidelines on sustainable aquaculture to be released in February, this episode of Ocean tells the success stories of two very different family-run aquaculture companies — one farming organic mussels in an isolated area of the Atlantic coast of Ireland, another growing trout at a popular touristic destination in landlocked Hungary.
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