Island Blue Economies: Building Ocean Livelihoods That Last
About this event
Island Blue Economies: Building Ocean Livelihoods That Last is the fourth edition of Island Innovation’s Island Sustainable Development Professionals course, aimed at people working in, with, or in support of island territories. For most Small Island Developing States and sub-national island jurisdictions the sea is the primary economic asset, the main source of protein, the basis of the tourism product and the route by which almost every imported good arrives, and the course frames the blue economy as an economic question: who owns ocean resources, who benefits from them, and what determines the answer. The course runs eight weekly Tuesday sessions from 13 October to 1 December 2026, 13:00 to 14:30 BST (moving to GMT from 27 October). Weeks one to three cover foundations and fisheries governance, including licensing, subsidies, small-scale fisheries and value chains; weeks four to six cover aquaculture and seaweed economies, marine spatial planning and blue finance; weeks seven and eight cover ocean governance, international law and why national blue economy strategies stall between publication and delivery. Session leaders include Louise Heaps, Miguel de Serpa Soares, Maximiliano Bello, Dr Angus Friday, Vincent Doumeizel, Ariane Steinsmeier, Feagaima’ali’i François Martel and Dr Charlotte De Fontaubert. Three full scholarships per cohort are available for early- to mid-career professionals with two to five years’ experience (application: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe27rQpY7O_Ub619NxH_gqG_jnBlv-P2A-ajZIbrh5f41fRWQ/viewform). Participants receive an Island Innovation certificate of completion. Enquiries: arianna@islandinnovation.co
What to expect
- Fisheries governance, licensing, subsidies and small-scale fisheries value chains
- Aquaculture, mariculture and the seaweed economy
- Marine spatial planning and competing ocean uses
- Blue finance instruments, debt conversions and bankable ocean projects
- Ocean governance, international law and blue economy strategy implementation
- Weekly 90-minute live sessions with structured networking
Date and time
13 October 2026
1:00 PM to 2:30 PM BST (8:00 AM to 9:30 AM ET); weekly on Tuesdays, 13 October to 1 December 2026
Cost
USD 199; three full scholarships per cohort
Registration