NL Premier Furey, Misel Joe and National Speakers Highlight Blue Economy Symposium

Propelling the Blue Economy: Connecting Our Oceans,
Our People, Our Future
St. John’s, NL, Canada
23-25 November 2021

About
The Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland presents Propelling the Blue Economy: Connecting Our Oceans, Our People, Our Future, a 3-day Virtual Symposium for scientists, researchers, government representatives, industry stakeholders, NGOs, Indigenous and coastal communities to exchange and share their experiences and ideas on all aspects of The Ocean Decade.
​
This conference will provide an interdisciplinary platform for researchers, practitioners and educators to present and discuss the most recent innovations, trends, and solutions to assist in the development of a common framework that will contribute to the development of a sustainable blue economy for Canada and the world.

Journal of Ocean Technology - Special Issue!
Propelling the Blue Economy Virtual Symposium Proceedings
Our Propelling the Blue Economy Virtual Symposium proceedings are now available as a special digital issue of the Fisheries and Marine Institute’s Journal of Ocean Technology.
We invite you to share again (or for the first time) in the intriguing discussions that brought together over 40 presenters and 400 global ocean industry, government, academia, student, and Indigenous participants to exchange experiences and opportunities posed by the UN Decade of Ocean Science.
Download the full issue here or visit The Journal of Ocean Technology to access our full issue or individual sections.
We’ll also be letting you know soon about future events, stay tuned!
We’d love to hear from you. Share your thoughts or provide feedback by sending an email to connect@mi.mun.ca.
Event Schedule
Time
Session
Speaker
All times NST
Day 1 - November 23, 2021
12:00pm -
12:15pm
Opening Remarks and Land Acknowledgement
12:15pm -
1:00pm
Plenary Session Keynote Speaker
1:00pm -
1:55pm
Session 1 - Implications of Autonomous Shipping: Stakeholder Perspectives
Maritime Autonomous Ships Systems or MASS represents a spectrum of remote or complete self-controlling maritime vessels operating on the oceans. While the first iterations of MASS were found in the military domain as remote operating drones, improved autonomous technology is now controlling small subsea vehicles and surface craft. Technology firms continue to drive experimentation with larger cargo carrying vessels, such as the Yara Birkeland, the concept of which is drawing much attention. While the commercial aspects of remote or autonomous vessels present opportunities, the applications can also be termed disruptive. The legal, regulatory and societal impacts to adopt MASS systems widely represent considerable challenges for all stakeholders.
Simon Pelletier - Canadian Marine Pilots’ Association
Chris Given - Government Relations, Seafarers' International Union of Canada
Donald Roussell - Intelligent Maritime Corridors International Council
Keeley Wylie - Liberty Mutual Insurance
John Cross - Fisheries and Marine Institute
Véronique Bérubé - Arctic & Large Vessels, Design & Equipment Standards, Transport Canada
1:55pm -
2:05pm
Health Break
2:05pm -
3:00pm
Session 2 - Value chain optimization of Newfoundland and Labrador commercial fishery: A case study on Snow Crab, Sea Cucumber and Farmed Atlantic Salmon
Crab, Sea cucumber and farmed Atlantic Salmon are the most important species for the Newfoundland seafood economy. Currently, we only utilize 30-60% of its potential, and the rest are being used for low-value products or dumped as waste. This session will give an overview of the Marine Institute's ongoing research to utilize these by-products as candidates for high-value functional food, pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals.
3:00pm -
3:55pm
Session 3 – A rock-solid climate solution: Solid Carbon can remove carbon emissions and safely secure them beneath the ocean floor
This session features a 25-minute lecture about the Solid Carbon project by Dr. Kate Moran, President and CEO of Ocean Networks Canada (https://www.oceannetworks.ca/). Following the talk, the Marine Institute's Dr. Sean Mullan will moderate a 30-minute discussion amongst selected expert panellists from Canadian industry and academia.
3:55pm -
4:00pm
Closing Remarks
Angie Clarke - Fisheries and Marine Institute
Day 2 - November 24, 2021
Time
Session
Speaker
All times NST
12:00pm -
12:05pm
Opening Remarks and Land Acknowledgement
1:00pm -
1:55pm
Session 1: Blue Economy, Resilience and Diversification: A Caribbean Perspective
COVID-19 has devastated economies around the world. For some island nations the pandemic has highlighted the risks of overreliance on traditional sectors such as tourism. Blue Economy offers prospects for economic resilience and diversification and is creating a demand for a newly skilled workforce. Helping youth access globally relevant education and training will be key to addressing the skills gap. This session will highlight developments in the Blue Economy in the Caribbean through the perspective of a Blue Economy thought leader and three students.
1:55pm -
2:05pm
Health Break
2:05pm -
3:00pm
Session 2 - Fisheries Development through Community Based Science and Training in Canada’s Arctic Communities
A panel discussion focused on the future of inshore fisheries development in Canada's eastern Arctic Communities. A multi-year collaboration between the Fisheries and Marine Institute and Qikiqtaaluk Corporation will be highlighted. Panel member include individuals from academia and industry.
3:00pm -
3:55pm
Session 3 - Diverse Approaches to Education and Training to Meet Evolving Demands of the Blue Economy - Student Perspectives
Melody Pardoe - Canada’s Ocean Supercluster
​
Eugenie Jacobsen - Fisheries and Marine Institute Student Panelist
​
Crystal Peyton - Fisheries and Marine Institute Student Panelist
​
Nathan Mullins - Memorial University Student Panelist
​
Diverse Approaches to Education and Training to Meet Evolving Demands of the Blue Economy - Student Perspectives
Day 3 - November 25, 2021
Time
Session
Speaker
All times NST
12:00pm - 12:30pm
Opening Remarks and Land Acknowledgement
​
Introduction of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change
12:00pm -
12:30pm
Plenary Session Keynote Speaker
12:30pm - 1:35pm
Session 1 - Coastal and Ocean Data and Marine Spatial Planning as Key Foundations Supporting the Blue Economy
Developing the Seychelles Marine Spatial Plan Atlas to Support Biodiversity Protection, Climate Change Adaptation, and the Blue Economy
​
Marine Planning and Conservation: Coastal and Ocean Data Initiatives
1:55pm - 2:05pm
​Health Break
2:00pm - 2:55pm
Session 2 - Supporting the Innovation Ecosystem for Newfoundland and Labrador and Beyond
NL is a global leader in cold-ocean and harsh environment research and development with state of the art infrastructure, expertise and experience across marine sectors. Access to suitable test facilities is key to technology development and demonstration to leverage cross-sectorial collaborations and support the full innovation life cycle. With the recent investment in the expansion of The Launch, Memorial University's portal to the ocean, there is an opportunity for this facility to support the oceans ecosystem as an innovation centre for the province and support technology development and commercialization for the Blue Economy.
3:00pm - 3:55pm
Session 3 - Location, Location, Location - Memorial as a Champion for Ocean Industries
As a gateway to the Arctic, Memorial is located at the intersection of global currents and the central North Atlantic. It is the ideal location to launch ocean research and education in support of the Blue Economy. With a thriving regional and national ocean technology sector ready to partner and collaborate, how can Memorial act as a champion for NL's ocean industries.
News
Organization
With its vision for the future to guide the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador to the world through global leadership in applied oceans education and research, Memorial University’s Fisheries and Marine Institute (MI) recognizes the significance of the opportunity The Ocean Decade presents.
With its established networks across key marine sectors, MI plays a leading role in connecting global leaders across ocean sectors to explore partnerships and new business models that support both ocean heath and economic prosperity, ultimately positioning Canada as a leader in the global blue economy.