Paula Gomes MOREIRA
Rev. Cadernos de Campo, Araraquara, v. 23, n. 00, e023002, 2023. e-ISSN: 2359-2419
DOI: https://doi.org/10.47284/cdc.v23i00.16973 11
EUROPEIA, 2018). Activities such as aquaculture, fish processing industry, fishing, ports,
storage and water projects, shipbuilding and repairs, coastal tourism, oil and gas extraction,
maritime transport, desalination, ocean energy, bioeconomy, biotechnology, and others are
developed within the EU. According to the understanding of the countries' governments that
make up the economic bloc, it is only through the identification of maritime activities that it
becomes possible to strengthen and promote local financial practices (KATILA, 2018).
In recent years, significant growth has been observed in areas related to the maritime
economy within the European bloc, particularly in coastal tourism, maritime transport, and
aquaculture, which are also the largest employers. In addition, the European Commission (EC)
has identified industries that can contribute to the so-called "blue growth" or sustainable growth
in the future. These sectors include aquaculture, coastal tourism, marine biotechnology, ocean
energy, and deep-sea mining (COMISSÃO EUROPEIA, 2010). Although there is no unified
policy on using marine resources and, more specifically, the blue economy, there are already
case studies on the subject. A relevant example is the Gulf of Bothnia (GoB), located in
Finland's northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea. The GoB is a region dominated by activities
related to the blue economy, such as shipbuilding, transportation, fishing, and offshore
activities. These activities are mainly carried out in coastal municipalities with a significant
number of employees and great economic importance for neighboring rural areas.
Employment issue continues to be a challenge for the region's growth. The number of
jobs related to the maritime economy is still low and represents only 4% of the total in the GoB,
with the maritime transport sector being the largest employer (KATILA et al., 2017). This
includes activities such as vessel construction and repair and water projects. Therefore, in the
presented case, indirect effects were more significant than direct effects in the context of the
blue economy. Traditional activities still play an essential role in the region, while development
is moving in a direction more aligned with sustainability and innovation. The areas with the
most significant potential for regional development strategies include coastal tourism as a
priority, followed by biomass and energy (KATILA et al., 2018). As observed in Finland,
coastal tourism significantly contributes to the blue economy in most countries within the
European bloc. In recent years, the United Kingdom has benefited considerably from the blue
economy, while Slovenia, Slovakia, and Luxembourg have shown limited economic returns in
this sector (COMISSÃO EUROPEIA, 2018).
From the cases presented, both in the Caribbean and the EU, it becomes evident that the
relevance of the blue economy varies according to the observed country. Now, we will analyze