The OECD report Rethinking Innovation for a Sustainable Ocean Economy emphasises the growing importance of science and technology in managing the economic development of our seas and ocean responsibly. Marine ecosystems sit at the heart of many of the world’s global challenges: food, medicines, new sources of clean energy, climate regulation, job creation and inclusive growth. But we need to safeguard and improve the health of these ecosystems to support our ever-growing use of marine resources. Innovation in science and technology will play a key role in reconciling these two objectives.

Development of the ocean economy is facing an increasingly acute dilemma. On the one hand, marine resources are essential to help meet the planet’s growing needs in food, energy, jobs, medicines, transport and so on. On the other, increasing use of our seas and ocean, the natural resources and the services they provide, adds to mounting pressures on marine ecosystems. The marine environment is already straining under the weight of pollution, rising water temperatures, loss of biodiversity, rising sea levels, growing acidification and other impacts associated with climate change, with the result that unsustainable growth in ocean-related economic activity risks yet further undermining the very foundations on which the ocean economy stands.

Chapter 1 summarises the main findings and recommendations of the OECD report “Rethinking Innovation for a Sustainable Ocean Economy”. It emphasises the growing importance of science and technologies in improving the sustainability of the ocean economy. It then identifies three priority areas for action: 1) encourage innovation approaches that produce win-win outcomes for ocean business and the ocean environment; 2) seek ways to foster the creation and nourish the vitality of ocean-economy innovation networks; and, 3) support new pioneering initiatives to improve measurement of the ocean economy.

After reviewing selected ocean-related scientific and technological advances, Chapter 2 shifts to four individual in-depth case studies that serve to illustrate how some innovations in the ocean domain may potentially both enable economic development and support ecosystem improvement and preservation. The case studies include floating offshore wind power, ballast water management, innovation in the marine aquaculture sector, and possible conversion of decommissioned oil and gas rigs and renewables into artificial reefs.

The objective of Chapter 3 is to gain an initial understanding of the role that collaboration plays in fostering innovation for the ocean economy. In particular, the OECD has assembled a set of case studies to explore how innovation network centres – in various marine/maritime sectors and diverse countries – organise collaboration among organisations of different types and the benefits achieved in doing so. This chapter presents the results of a survey of ten selected innovation networks in the ocean economy. Taking into account context-specific situations, some preliminary lessons learned on innovation networks for the ocean economy are drawn out for policy makers and practitioners. Further mapping of innovation networks will continue in 2019-20.

Realising the full potential of the ocean demands responsible, sustainable approaches to its economic development. And in order to better manage the ocean, decision-makers need ever more reliable data to inform their actions and evidence-based policies. This requires a good understanding of what the ocean economy represents and how its multifaceted activities may link with the overall economy. This chapter explores new approaches to measuring the ocean economy, notably by highlighting the use of satellite accounts for its twin pillars - ocean-based economic activities and marine ecosystem services - and by examining ways to better measure the benefits that sustained ocean observations provide not only to science, but to the economy and society more generally.