A new Blue Tech incubator
“San Diego has the largest concentrated maritime technology cluster in the U.S. And probably the world. Blue Tech represents a diversity of jobs, from blue-collar manufacturing to PhD-level research. The industry tackles our greatest challenges, like drinking water, conservation, atmospheric research, and sustainable food; and provides solutions that will benefit the rest of the country.” —County Supervisor Dave Roberts, in the Marine Technology Reporter.
Scripps Institute of Oceanography spends $140 million a year on scientific research and discovery, operating four research vessels and the platform FLIP. It is one of the largest academic fleets in the world, with a staff of 1,300, including 300 scientists, 250 graduate students, and 100 faculty members as a part of UC San Diego.
By the Numbers
46,000
“Blue Jobs”
(8,000: traditional, exclusively maritime industries; 19,000 blue tech; 18,700 jobs that include maritime activities but are not exclusively maritime)
$14B+
in sales
1,400
blue-tech companies
5,500 acres
of land and water in San Diego port’s jurisdiction
12%
growth in employment. That’s 6,000 new jobs by 2020.
14 sectors
make up the maritime industry, with 71 sub-sectors. Diversity is good.
40-60%
of the goods produced here are exported (And Money is imported!)
The Case for More Aquaculture
- The U.S. imports 90 percent of the seafood we eat—an $11.2-billion annual trade deficit.
- By 2030, 60 percent of the seafood consumed globally will be farm raised. Why not build those farms here?
- Rose Canyon Fisheries is planning an aquaculture farm four miles off the San Diego coast that would raise up to 11 million pounds of yellowtail and sea bass annually.
What is Blue Tech?
- Aquaculture and fishing
- Biomedicine
- Cables and connectors
- Boat and shipbuilding
- Defense and security
- Desalination and water treatment
- Marine reaction
- Ocean energy and minerals
- Ocean science and observation
- Ports and marine transportation
- Robotics and submarines
- Telecommunications
- Very large floating platforms
- Weather and climate science
Sources: The Maritime Alliance, San Diego Maritime Industry Report 2012, San Diego Workforce Partnership, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
Tags: Blue Tech, Next Big Thing
