Port of San Diego Grows its Blue Economy Incubator to 11 Companies with MarineLabs

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The Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners has approved a two-year pilot project for $300,000 with MarineLabs Data Systems Inc. through its Blue Economy Incubator (BEI). As a catalyst for the region’s blue economy, the Port of San Diego established its Blue Economy Incubator in 2016 as a launching pad for sustainable aquaculture and Port-related blue technology ventures.

MarineLabs is a scale up coastal intelligence company specializing in providing real-time coastal domain awareness and climate resilience data from sensor nodes that can help the Port make informed decisions about its coastal resilience projects and operations. MarineLabs’ technology will focus on providing persistent wave, wind, and wake data above the water’s surface and complement another BEI company, HyperKelp, whose buoy platforms collect data on underwater noise and water chemistry.

“The Port of San Diego’s Blue Economy Incubator continues to catalyze innovative solutions that protect our coastal environment and advance meaningful progress toward long-term resilience,” said Chair Danielle Moore, Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners. “Our commitment to the development of a thriving and responsible ocean economy is anchored in our tireless efforts to honor our role as an environmental steward of the bay and solidify San Diego Bay as the Blue Tech Bay.”

“The Port of San Diego is leading the charge in building a sustainable ocean economy, and MarineLabs is proud to be part of that effort,” said Dr. Scott Beatty, CEO of MarineLabs. “By partnering through the Blue Economy Incubator, we’re setting a new standard for how ports can use real-time, hyper-local coastal intelligence for climate hazard monitoring, assessing environmental impacts, and building coastal resilience. This project reflects the growing demand for actionable coastal data, a need that’s driving MarineLabs’ growth as we partner with leading ports across North America to strengthen marine safety and climate resilience.”

To date, the Board of Port Commissioners has approved 11 agreements with early-stage companies, including one re-investment, to launch innovative pilot projects, four of which have been completed. Aside from the newest addition to the BEI, the following are active BEI projects:

• FREDsense: In 2021, the Port approved FREDsense Technologies for a pilot project to develop a portable five-in-one field-testing sensor device to provide near real-time metals analysis for stormwater monitoring. Under the pilot, FREDsense is developing a prototype to demonstrate the feasibility of automatically testing levels of aluminum, copper, lead, zinc, and nickel – all of which are of importance for stormwater compliance monitoring.
• HyperKelp Inc: HyperKelp Inc. is the tenth company to join the Blue Economy Incubator. HyperKelp is an early-stage company specializing in the custom development of smart buoy platforms (known as Kelp Smart Buoy). The buoy platforms can collect and aggregate underwater data in near real-time and display results on an online dashboard. This technology will monitor underwater noise levels, atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations, and water quality.
• San Diego Bay Aquaculture: Since 2017, San Diego Bay Aquaculture is testing if a shellfish nursery, called a FLUPSY (Floating Upweller System), can be effective in helping address a coast-wide shellfish seed shortage. The FLUPSY is a floating barge that circulates water through compartments or bins holding shellfish, in this case oysters, as they grow from about the size of a red pepper flake to about the size of a quarter. After being in the FLUPSY, shellfish are transported to a farm where they will grow to market size. The project was one of two BEI projects featured in the TODAY Show’s Earth Week coverage for NBC Climate.
• Sunken Seaweed: Sunken Seaweed, an aquaculture start-up company led by two marine ecologists, joined the Port’s BEI to demonstrate the feasibility of seaweed aquaculture in San Diego Bay. Sunken Seaweed established a seaweed hatchery at San Diego State University’s Coastal and Marine Institute Laboratory and installed their submerged seaweed pilot farm using assets managed by the Port such as docks and piers. Since 2018, the company has been successfully cultivating, outplanting, growing, monitoring, and harvesting several species of seaweed native to Southern California. Beyond commercialization, results from the pilot project help assess and quantify seaweed aquaculture’s multiple co-benefits, from carbon sequestration and bioremediation to improving water quality and ecosystem productivity. In 2022, the Port reinvested in an expansion of Sunken Seaweed's pilot which enables the company to build and continue its research in San Diego Bay, while expanding operations to Humboldt Bay where they will benefit from shoreside facilities to help them reach market scale. This project was featured in the TODAY Show’s Earth Week coverage for NBC Climate in April 2023.

The Port of San Diego is committed to the development of a sustainable ocean economy and to explore new opportunities that deliver multiple social, environmental, and economic co-benefits to the Port and the region. In exchange for funding or in-kind support provided to launch the pilot projects, the Port receives a royalty from the businesses’ operations or technology. To date, the Port has committed $2.25 million in funding, has attracted outside funding for blue economy initiatives, provided access and use of Port-owned property, and assisted with obtaining all necessary regulatory and operational permits, coordinated the installation of pilot projects, and collaborated on marketing and communications.  

Throughout the program, the Port has received multiple awards recognizing its unique approach to Port-based blue economy innovation through pilot project facilitation and has been recognized by state and federal agencies, industry, and academia for providing pathways for the sustainable development of aquaculture and blue technology in the region. Learn more about the Port of San Diego’s Blue Economy Incubator and read the latest highlights report at portofsandiego.org/blueeconomy.