A Big Blue Economy Win for RI

Bill Bartholomew welcomes URI professor Marta Gomez-Chiarri and Lisa Carnevale from RI Commerce for a discussion on a recently awarded grant that bolsters Rhode Island's position in the blue economy

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Bill Bartholomew 0:00

Well, we like to highlight good news here on Bartholomew Town. We like to follow up on things that we've talked about, and we like to talk about things that are pillars for success for the future of the state. And what do you know? We have an a story that perfectly intersects in all those spaces today for you. Before we get going, just direct to associate the person and the voice, um, starting with, I guess, from the top of our screen here, Lisa, if you want to introduce yourself, and then we'll explain why we're here today.

SPEAKER_00 0:26

Hi, everybody, Lisa Carnaval. Um, I'm the vice president here at Rhode Island Commerce Corporation. We're the state's economic development agency. Um, and my role is working on innovation and uh interfacing with the research and development that happens throughout the state, and how can we further uh develop that into the economic opportunities we want to see? And that then translates into things like regional innovation engines and uh tech ups and that sort of thing. So happy to be here.

Bill Bartholomew 0:57

All right, thank you, Lisa. Martin?

SPEAKER_01 1:00

Um, good morning. I'm very excited to be here. I'm a professor at the University of Rhode Island in aquaculture and fisheries. I'm an instructor in the aquaculture and fisheries bachelor's program, um, and also graduate program director for our graduate programs in biological and environmental sciences. And I do research on diseases that affect uh seafood.

Bill Bartholomew 1:23

Reading from a press release here, the United States National Science Foundation announced a major new award to bolster the American seafood industry through the NSF Regional Innovation Engines program within the Directorate for Technology Innovation and Partnerships. The NSF Seafood Engine in New England, led by the Portsmouth-based nonprofit. I'm going to just read the letters here rather than try to figure out how to pronounce this, N-E-R-A-C-O-O-S. It's a collaboration of seafood industry, tech sectors, government and research partners across Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island, including the Commercial Fisheries Center of Rhode Island, the Ocean Tech Hub, Rhode Island Commerce Corporation, Rhode Island Sea Grant, and the University of Rhode Island. So the big news here is that a $15 million grant was awarded. Let's talk about what that grant is, Lisa, and why it matters.

SPEAKER_00 2:12

Yeah, happy to. As the uh, you know, that press release says, we were awarded a seafood engine, one of the National Science Foundation uh innovation engines. There are now a total of 20. So we're part of the cohort number two. We were a finalist, there were 15 finalists, and then they were selected 12 of us. Um the organization's name is Narakus. We we pronounce the Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems. They're in Port Smith, New Hampshire, and this is a four-state initiative that we're really excited to be part of. And it really harnesses the strength of the region in the seafood uh sector. And in I guess what I'll say specifically about what the um NSF engines are aiming to do. Um, it's really looking at harnessing what a region has to then um uh nationally impact a particular industry sector by introducing uh cutting-edge technology into that sector. So for us, you know, it's it's it's really about creating the engine behind an industry and fueling that by pulling together all the assets and the uh the lead in this from research and development all the way through to commercialization and and have that be um really helping us target in our case, the seafood and aquaculture sector in in the in the New England area.

Bill Bartholomew 3:46

What does that look like in real terms on the ground? How does that have an immediate impact industrially, Marta?

SPEAKER_01 3:52

So the plans for the engine is kind of work together with the industry, hear about their problems, their challenges, the opportunities. Um, why don't we are we not able to produce more seafood and get them directly from our waters to our plates? And so we will work directly with the industry and we'll basically match them with high-tech or innovation industries like ocean sensing and ocean engineers. And we'll listen to their problems, to their opportunities, and we'll match that with technologies that are being developed in the region. Um, and so we'll work together to address those challenges and basically help them produce more seafood that can basically throughout the um produce more seafood that can get to our um tables directly. Um, so the main goal is actually addressing our seafood trade deficit and just have more national production of seafood using innovation and technology.

Bill Bartholomew 4:56

What are the underlying causes and I guess direct impact results there that make it so this kind of technology is necessary? I mean, but people hear fisheries that goes back to ancient times. So why now is this technology essential?

SPEAKER_01 5:12

So what we're trying to do is understand better the environment and how it's changing and how fish, for example, for fishing, uh fish populations are moving. Um, they are changing. Um, some of them are depleted, some of them maybe rising. And in order to understand that change, we need to observe better that environment. And oceanographers have been looking at the oceans for, you know, for a long time and have developed really high technology to do that. But that that those um ocean observing um instruments um are expensive and they are not feasible to, you know, for a fisherman or aquaculturist to use. What we're going to do is make that technology affordable and also use it in case studies and research and development programs and projects to understand how they can help the industry. And one example is, for instance, putting cameras in the cot end of a fishing boat and seeing what kind of fishes are there in the bottom. And, you know, when you hit, you know, and uh when you hit a uh, then you understand more what fish is out there, not just by the catch, but also by observing it directly. Um what we're also trying to do is integrate all the observations from all the fishermen and all the farmers and understand better the whole system instead of just having, you know, just one person here, one person there.

Bill Bartholomew 6:41

Yeah, that that's really interesting. Because that's a question I had for you, Lisa, is you know, we're now a de well, certainly a decade plus. I mean, obviously, we're back to our origins as a as a a state, as a region, in terms of the blue economy and the direct re relationship with the ocean. But in this modern sort of version of it, if you will, we're a couple of decades if you count the wind farms, but let's let's as a buzzword and an actual operating practice, it's about a decade plus in action here. And it feels like there's oftentimes this notion that blue economy, uh blue economy means wind farms or other tech that competes or displaces fishermen, lobstermen, whatever, or those who say, hey, look, I have a conservation mind with the ocean. That's how I want to look at things. If you see this sort of opposition to the wind farms uh based on, hey, when I look out my front door, I might see the red light, that kind of stuff. But this is actually that word holistic, this is actually an example of how there's a lot of intersectionality between fisheries, um, and obviously ocean sensors and so on and so forth. So if when you see these kinds of projects come together, how important is it to package it up and and kind of sell it to the people in the state of Rhode Island that this is what we're talking about?

SPEAKER_00 8:00

Yeah, it's a it's a it's a wide-ranging area and in a lot of a lot of different stakeholders engaged, right? I mean, the ocean is very, very big, and there's a lot that we are doing, especially in the ocean state in Rhode Island, and the ways that we engage with it, from tourism to you know, the offshore wind projects, but also the legacy of you know our universities like URI that have been um have, you know, they've had a school of ocean, oceanographic engineering and then um um exploration for a very long time. So I think what I what I like to say about this particular initiative for the seafood engine is, you know, it kind of targets a particular use of our oceans, but uses technology that's agnostic to a lot of different sectors. So in some cases, you know, ocean technology is used in the defense industry. It's being used in um, you know, other areas, other types of um sectors. Why the seafood industry is very important. I mean, Point Judith is one of three of the most critical uh landing um ports in the Northeast, right? And we have a huge amount of activity and a legacy of this industry that we don't ignore. We find as very important to us and very important to the economy. The opportunity the seafood engine gives us is to help the growth in the ocean tech in this area. You know, we are we're also named the Ocean Tech Hub and designated that for a reason that we have a lot of strength in building this type of technology here, um, and helping that technology be utilized in this legacy industry in the fisheries with the fisheries in the in the coming of age around aquaculture too. Um it's more about how can we help monitor um um modernize uh their work, um, you know, really helping what what Marta was tapping into is this this sensing potential, this opportunity of how do we help the fishermen or the fishers uh, when they're out there, avoid um, you know, uh bycatch events that they don't want to be getting, which is, you know, uh, or um we have one company here that is helping to really temperature target the fishing, like that type of opportunity is now. Um, that's where we've come to with this technology. And in again, to Marta's point, it's becoming more affordable to build and to um utilize and and help the seafood industry tap that opportunity. So this is just a beautiful, beautiful synergy for us to be really investing in as the state.

Bill Bartholomew 10:53

Yeah. It's it it again leads in. Uh, did we script this out? Because this is now the second consecutive question that's led perfectly in. You know, did I forget we scripted it?

SPEAKER_00 11:03

No, we didn't. Okay, great.

Bill Bartholomew 11:05

This the sin the synergy component, I think that's what's so real about the blue economy as a driver, is because URI is there. There's other partners as well, of course, of course, across higher ed and um in general. But let me ask you this, Marta, from from your standpoint as on the ground at the University of Rhode Island in this work, do you feel like the ecosystem is there from a support standpoint intergovernmentally and within the university itself, um, and even from the obviously the private sector. I mean, that's what the seafood industry is. Do you feel like that synergy exists right now in a way that is unusual or special or something that Rhode Island should continue to identify as a um uh a driver of our future?

SPEAKER_01 11:48

Yeah, I I I so I think the the C Fund engine is the combination of a lot of investments that the university, the state, and also our congressional delegation has been made, both in the blue economy, you know, and the blue tech sector, but also in the seafood sector. Um, we've had um congressional directed spending, you know, supported by Senator Reed that has been helping the fishing and seafood industry many of those investments. We have the new ocean engineering building at the Bay Campus. We have bond issues, have built buildings at URI that's dedicated to marine sciences, ocean health, you know, understanding better how we can steward this immense, you know, this incredible resources we have in the ocean state. So the university has had an aquaculture and fisheries program for many, many years. It was one of the original programs of the university when it was created as a land grant and seagrant institution. Um, and we've moved, you know, we started with dairy and chickens and the red, you know, the Rhode Island red and then potatoes. But those have moved away from Rhode Island and the university moved a long time ago into fisheries and aquaculture. We trained many of the fishermen that fish our waters. We've we've grown the aquaculture industry from nothing in the in, you know, in the 90s to a million, you know, million-dollar production. So yeah, this is basically what you were talking about synergies, is we're bringing together a lot of interactions with the industry that have been happening and understanding their needs and trying to find a way to address their needs. And Rhode Island Seagrant is one of those partners. And like the Commercial Fisheries Center of Rhode Island and the East Coast Shell Fish Growers Association. These are all partners we've been working on for many years. And, you know, and that has helped us be so competitive at achieving this engine, which is an unusual engine for the engines, because it's, you know, seafood is not necessarily what you consider about innovation and technology. But, you know, here we are.

Bill Bartholomew 14:03

Yeah. Fascinating. Really, really interesting. And also the the model of competing, competing on the national level, on a major league level for these types of grants. And and so Lisa, when you look at the regionalization and the regional structure here, how essential was it to have that regional structure in place to be able to compete in this, in this landscape for this grant? And is that something that is that a formal relationship, or is that just sort of a one-time on this grant, we're going to work together type relationship between the four states, I believe?

SPEAKER_00 16:57

I think, you know, as you were mentioning, you know, the blue economy has been a concerted effort for over a decade. Um, we're not the only ones just here in Rhode Island that recognize that. And for a very long time, we have had relationships with our neighboring states in New England and along the coast. And there's just a, you know, just again, a natural um, a natural partnership that's happened over the years there. I think when we started to form this group, we also would say things like, the fish don't know boundaries. So there's not really, you know, there's not really a uh, you know, that kind of state line for them, for them necessarily.

Bill Bartholomew 17:36

I mean, maybe that we know of, that we know of.

SPEAKER_00 17:41

Um but, you know, I think it was definitely uh a very strategic thought for all of us to uh when we looked at this as an opportunity to see how to partner up and partner up in a New England regional way. We also are very small states here, right? So we then create a larger uh um like scope by combining the states together. But when we dug into the seafood industry, and if you just even take into account the fact that in these four states, we generate approximately uh $1.5 billion annually in first sale um seafood value, and that's 25% of our national total. So in our small little zone of New England, we're taking in 25% of what the US um brings in in seafood. So that type of landing, that type of uh capture of the market is pretty, you know, we've built some, we've built some muscles around this, right? No pun, but um and it seemed like a pretty natural way to harness the uh assets in the industry, in in the in both the seafood and the tech and in the space of that blue economy ocean economy, it made a lot of sense.

SPEAKER_03 18:54

Where does this model apply, Giselle, in in other industries, in other sectors?

Bill Bartholomew 19:03

Or is there anywhere else that that just comes to mind as, hey, this is another sector where you you pair a unique asset that Rhode Island has with the unique asset of higher ed, with the com the ability to regionally compete regionally in the grant landscape, um, so on and so forth. Are there are there other verticals that I mean, obviously obviously health science, we look at the hub right now, there's that. But um broadly speaking, this is just kind of a spitball idea, but this seems like something that's actually working and it's grant funded and competitive on a regional basis. It just seems like this is something that's working for Rhode Island. Where else can it go?

SPEAKER_01 19:42

So um I mean, ocean engineering and and and ocean sensing has is the other example of where there's a lot of regional interaction and a lot of partnerships. Um and um the other one is um vector-borne diseases. I think that that's another one where we've had interaction between different um states and of our understanding um it is related to health, like you mentioned. Um, the other one is the emerging pollutants area. The STEAP program is another example where we had partnerships in the region, national partnerships, um, and where Rhode Island has contributed, you know, their expertise to that. Um there's also in physics, we have uh at the university a very important department, and we're part of the Massachusetts, Massachusetts Green, you know, I always forget, is the computing cluster. And so that's a regional computing cluster, high power, um, and and um about you know the the information, data, data analysis, um and um artificial intelligence. Uh and um so those are the examples that can come that come to my mind right now about kind of similar um areas in what Rhode Island contributes to n, you know, projects of regional or national scope.

Bill Bartholomew 21:13

Yeah, I mean, all of that makes so much sense. And it's you know, I think it's important that the state hear more and more of these types of either in progress when I say the state, I mean the people of the state, particularly those who complain all the time that the state's got nothing going on. And there are major challenges with affordability, there are major challenges outlook-wise, sure. Uh it no question. I mean, every every couple of months you have to ask yourself how do you sustain in Rhode Island if you're not already locked in? I think it's a legitimate question. But then the it, you know, in and sort of the okay, here are the pros and cons side of things, we need to put more knowledge and more energy around the things that are working in economic development and commerce because they are unique and then take that model and apply it to other spaces. And so uh kudos to both of you for finding something that works and taps into our our best people and our best resources. It's happening in real time. So haters, there it is. You know, it's an it so so with that as kind of a sign-off here you know, what's your message to Rhode Island? What's your sell what's your your sales pitch on uh there's not really a great elevator in Rhode Island, but if we if there was a 30-second elevator pitch from both of you to get buy-in from people who are skeptical about the state's engagement or the university's engagement with the private sector and economic development.

SPEAKER_00 22:37

Well, um what I might say is that Rhode Island is small and mighty. We've said that a million times about our state, but we also really are playing to our strengths. We are engaged in initiatives, building consortiums, bringing our assets together, convening. You know, the role of Rhode Island Commerce, a very strong role of that is convening partners and being able to call upon our um our colleagues around issues and around economic development, ideas and possibilities in sectors that we are strong in. The blue economy and the ocean economy is one of our biggest strengths. Defense, uh, you know, aquaculture is growing. These areas, the seafood industry is legacy. And so we're we're we are playing to our strengths, and um there's a momentum that's here. It's now. There is a pr particular momentum that is um kind of undeniable. And uh I think what I'd say is that we know it's here, we're actively in it, and we're continuing to um fuel that momentum as a state.

SPEAKER_03 23:53

All right, and Mart.

SPEAKER_01 23:55

Yeah, I like to add to that is like uh Lisa mentioned we the seafood industry is a legacy, but we have uh an amazing coast with incredible resources. It's a beautiful environment. I I know I'm not a Rhode Islander by birth, but I came from California and I'm not moving back to California, even if they offer me to. This is a great place to live. The access to the ocean is is right there. Um we have um an a very incredibly rich culture of living in the ocean and and living with the ocean, and and uh and I think we are taking advantage of that, you know, is that um and you know, and the size of Rhode Island and the fact that we can we have so many academic institutions that have so many resources and so much intellectual power, that's another thing we have to take advantage of. And it's not just the University of Rhode Island, it's all those higher ed and also not just that, the the apprenticeship programs and the community colleges and the you know, we are not training this this project has a big workforce development component to it. And it's not just looking at the high-tech industry jobs, it's also about those jobs for those people that just like to live in the ocean and live off the ocean um by fishing or farming. So we are basically trying to capture both, you know, and and train people to to do whatever they like to do and take advantage of, you know, living in a beautiful spot.

SPEAKER_03 25:32

Thank you both very much.

SPEAKER_01 25:34

Thanks. Thank you.