The blue economy, also called the ocean economy, refers to economic activities related to oceans, seas and coastal areas. This includes shipping, fisheries, marine renewable energy, waste management and tourism. The focus of the blue economy is on improving sustainability to ensure the ocean’s resources are around for generations to come.
With the world’s longest coastline and fourth largest ocean territory, Canada has a vested interest in growing blue economy sectors. A number of federal initiatives and policies such as the Aquaculture Acts, the Oceans Protections Plan and the Blue Economy Strategy Report highlight Canada’s commitment to sustainably and equitably growing the blue economy. As Fisheries and Oceans Canada informs in the Blue Economy Strategy Engagement Paper “Canada’s ocean economy accounts for $31.7 billion annually in gross domestic product and almost 300,000 jobs in fisheries and aquaculture, energy, shipping, tourism and recreation.”
To drive the sector forward, there is a growing need for the data sciences to inform decision-making processes. Therefore, the demand for skilled workers trained in data analytics tends to grow.