New URI films focus on ocean issues

Short Films Focus on Local Ocean Planning

By ecoRI.org News staff

In Rhode Island and around the country, coastal communities are working to generate new industries, support job creation, and provide food and services to an ever-increasing population, through planning to manage and sustain the ocean’s resources. The nation’s fisheries and offshore renewable energy resources represent part of the answer.

Two new short films — one focusing on renewable energy and the other on fisheries — are the latest in a four-part series that explores ocean planning with practitioners from around the world. The renewable energy film “Advancing the Ocean Economy: Renewable Energy” introduces offshore renewable energy issues as they relate to ocean planning, and shows how coastal communities are turning to these resources, such as wind power, to support jobs and industries.

The fisheries film “Ocean Planning: Enhancing and Protecting out Fisheries” offers thinking from practitioners about how ocean planning, with its emphasis on integrating planning approaches across multiple resources and user groups, could help solve complicated economic, social and environmental issues challenging the industry.

The recently released first film “America’s Ocean Economy: Challenges and Opportunities” provides an overview of ocean planning as a tool for ocean managers, practitioners and a wide range of public and private partners to collaborate on ways to share and protect ocean resources, such as fishing stocks, shipping lanes and recreational areas.

“Globally, people share the same challenges associated with growing coastal populations and the pressures they are putting on ocean resources,” said Jennifer McCann, director of extension programs for Rhode Island Sea Grant and of U.S. coastal programs at the University of Rhode Island Coastal Resources Center. “Our hope is these films will crystallize for people how these challenges can also be economic opportunities for improving how we manage our oceans for this and future generations.”

The film series is part of Rhode Island’s effort to establish a model ocean planning state program and to help inform discussions about ocean planning in the Northeast.