News & Press

The Wood Holes Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) recently announced the newest human-occupied vehicle (HOV) Alvin pilot, Kaitlyn Beardshear.Beardshear is Alvin's 46th pilot and at 28 years old, one of the youngest in the program's history. Alvin celebrated 60 years of service in June 2024."I've been working towards this for two years, and it's really exciting that it's all come together," said Beardshear. "I've done all this hard work, I've got my certification, now I'm ready to get in the sub and do it. I'm ready to start diving."

On December 10, the Town of Sandwich received $100,000 to create a connection between an existing parking lot and a floating dock system at the Sandwich Marina.The grant was signed by the Healey-Driscoll Administration and will aid in the design and permitting process to create a harbor walk to connect sections of the marina. This will “enhance commercial and tourism use of the Town of Sandwich’s municipal marina,” said the Healey-Driscoll Administration in a press release on December 10.The funding was designated in part of a total of $3,285,664 in blue economy grants for ten projects across the state. Blue grants were designated to projects that will, “support the economic vitality, tourism, and ecosystem health of Massachusetts’ waterfronts and harbors while helping the state reach its ambitious climate resiliency goals,” the press release continued.

Dan Ward, a shell fisherman since 2012, uses his PhD in aquaculture to come up with sustainable and innovative techniques for marine farming. Anything from oysters to sugar kelp, he's grown it in his own unique way!

It's back again! WaterWORKS is coming up, set for Tuesday, January 14, 2025. The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Our career exploration day will host 400+ students from the Cape and Islands, with opportunities to learn about careers in STEM and the blue economy. Students will be able to talk with employers and educators about what awaits them if they choose a career in blue.

For me, “blue” means a lot. It really is so much of how I grew up, between boating, fishing, and surfing, I was practically swimming before I was walking. “Blue” is everything relating to the ocean, anything maritime really. This means it has such a broad scope, especially on Cape Cod. Being an island, we are surrounded by blue, it is such a large part of our lives. It’s why so many people come here. I can honestly say that without the blue, there really would be no Cape Cod.

On October 31, 2024 the Healey-Driscoll administration announced $1,999,982 to the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance through Massachusetts Technology Collaborative’s (MassTech’s) Innovation Institute to support ocean monitoring and data collection that will aid search and rescue operations, support marine transportation planning, and study the impacts of a changing climate on commercially harvested species of fish.

There’s no denying Massachusetts has an intrinsic connection to the sea. We’re the Bay State, after all, boasting distinctive coastlines and fabled harbors, including Boston, Newburyport, New Bedford, Salem, and Gloucester—home to one of the oldest fishing seaports in the United States.

The internship/lab placement will introduce students to career paths that exist locally within ocean science and engineering, and the Blue Economy. Interns will be placed with a research group that most closely matches their interests. The internship requires 50 hours on-site over the course of the Spring Semester and scheduling is flexible.

Have a business or non-profit idea within the theme of ‘Blue Economy’? We’re talking fishing charters, shellfish farms, sea-to-table dining, ocean tech, coastal art and more! If your business idea leverages Cape Cod’s unique coastal environment, we’d like to hear about it.

The Rose family has a long history on the Outer Cape, and a fishing heritage that extends back centuries.“Our family, since the Mayflower, has been eating clams,” said Keith Rose, who captains the sea clammer the Kimberly Ann.Rose looked out at the crowd of close to a hundred people gathered at the Fishermen’s Alliance for Meet the Fleet and smiled.

The District hosted the first Fishermen Skills Training Program facilitated by the Brazilian Resources Center, formerly the Health Ministry Inc. This collaboration between the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance (CCCFA) and TDI MassDevelopment is an important step to building a more resilient year-round economy and signals a brightening for the local Blue Economy.

On August 28, a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) survey is scheduled to begin in federal waters in the southwest corner of SouthCoast Wind’s lease area, approximately 38 nautical miles (NM) south of Martha’s Vineyard. The survey is to determine if the target area is of archaeological significance.