Alumna and Project Blue affiliate researcher Noelle King, ’23, and C. Patrick Heidkamp, professor in Southern’s Department of Environmental, Geographical and Marine Sciences, were recently featured in Austurfrétt, an Eastern Icelandic news outlet, for their collaborative research on the Blue Economy in the region.
Conducted in partnership with Project Blue and the Skálanes Nature and Heritage Centre in Seyðisfjörður, King’s master’s thesis explored how coastal residents perceive both the challenges and opportunities of building a more sustainable and inclusive Blue Economy. This summer, King was invited to return to Seyðisfjörður to present her findings at the Skálanes Research and Outreach Symposium, alongside Heidkamp.
“In its broadest definition, everything related to the ocean and maritime activities falls under the blue economy,” King told Austurfrétt, “but these are supposed to be things that are related to sustainability in some way.”
Through interviews conducted in communities across the East Fjords, residents voiced a range of concerns—declining fishing jobs, overtourism, and a lack of local involvement in major decisions. “One of the things the East Fjords mentioned most is that they feel left out of the discussion,” King said. “The big decisions are made south in Reykjavík. I remember one saying: ‘We are simply too far away, we are not being thought of.’”
But residents also saw potential for positive change. “They can use the growth in tourism and the knowledge from fishing to sell trips to tourists to go fishing,” King noted. She also shared the idea of forming a maritime innovation cluster: “It would be useful to create an East Iceland maritime cluster… [which] could encourage young people to live here and work on innovation. A cluster is about people from different backgrounds coming together.”
This project is one of many supported by Project Blue, a Southern Connecticut State University initiative that offers students immersive, hands-on research opportunities focused on sustainability and ocean futures.
