On June 15, 2021, the Board of the Port of San Diego Commissioners approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which enables the Port and Canada’s Ocean Supercluster (OSC) to work together in supporting the Blue Economy and aquaculture projects, and exchanging knowledge of the blue economy driven by sustainable ocean resources. This MoU hopes to support both the Port and OSC’s programs while finding new opportunities for collaboration. The Consulate of Canada in San Diego is the proud facilitator of this partnership from concept to execution.
Fun fact about the Port of San Diego: The Port manages San Diego Bay and 34 miles (approximately 55 km) of its waterfront for the people of California. The Port was established in 1962 with five member cities — Chula Vista, Coronado, Imperial Beach, National City and San Diego — working together to develop and promote commerce, navigation, recreation and fisheries on and around San Diego Bay. To continue leading and accelerating the Blue Economy, in 2016, the Port established an Aquaculture and Blue Tech Program to assist in the creation, early development, and initial scaling of new Blue Economy business ventures along San Diego Bay. Under the program, the Port is building a Blue Economy Incubator to support entrepreneurship, foster sustainable aquaculture, and help drive blue tech innovation.
And what exactly is the OSC you may ask? It is actually one of Canada’s five Innovation Superclusters! These clusters are areas of intense business activity made up of companies, academic institutions and not-for-profit organizations that boost innovation and growth in a particular industry, think Silicon Valley-style. Based in Atlantic Canada, the OSC is focused on tackling the shared challenges across ocean sectors through collaborative programs, accelerating the development and commercialization of globally relevant solutions, creating new economic activity, and building a highly capable inclusive workforce. Industry leaders in fisheries, aquaculture, defense, offshore resources, marine renewables, bio-resources, shipping, and ocean technology come together under the OSC to develop and commercialize solutions to shared ocean challenges, while helping Canada advance its position as a global leader in the blue economy.
Did you know that this is not the first partnership between Canada and the Port? In 2019, the Port also signed a collaborative MoU with Nova Scotia Centre for Ocean Ventures & Entrepreneurship (COVE). We are excited to see even more bilateral initiatives that support the health of our oceans!