The government of French Polynesia presented its « Sustainable Blue Economy Roadmap » to the members of the Maritime and Port Strategic Council on Thursday. This newly finalized document, which must be approved by the Council of Ministers next week and then by the Territorial Assembly, outlines 176 actions to be implemented or continued by 2030 in order to realize the full potential of the sector in Polynesia. It covers a wide range of topics, including secondary fishing bases in the archipelagos, dredging the Papeete pass, thermal sea energy and wave energy technology demonstrators, and public-private cooperation. Details from our partner Radio 1 Tahiti.
This « vision » was shared by the government with its partners on Thursday morning during the first meeting of the French Polynesia Maritime and Port Strategic Committee. A « clear » vision, according to Moetai Brotherson, as stated in the preamble of the document: to « make French Polynesia a beacon of the eco-energy transition in ocean-related sectors. »
This document is the roadmap for a sustainable blue economy, a twenty-page booklet signed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Marine Resources, and Environment under Taivini Teai. However, it is the result of a « participatory process » involving state services and maritime cluster professionals, other members of the strategic committee.
The roadmap, oriented towards « the 2030 horizon, » lists no fewer than 176 actions and objectives to implement in order to realize the full maritime potential of the territory. Balancing the government’s ambitions for food autonomy, economic development, environmental preservation, budget constraints, and the necessary adaptation to climate change risks is a challenging task.
The document, which has just been finalized and will be presented next week to the Council of Ministers, refrains at this stage from prioritizing, dating, or quantifying the listed actions. However, it does provide an overview of the efforts required to continue developing this « blue economy, » which already represents 65 billion francs in cumulative revenue and 13% of jobs in French Polynesia.
The Dredging of the Papeete Pass Still on the Agenda
As the government clarified on Thursday, much of the roadmap’s actions have already been initiated, either during this or the previous administration, and need to be continued, finalized, or implemented.
The document lists significant administrative and regulatory projects: the development and regulation of moorings, digital and tariff management of stopovers, harmonization of vessel registration records, improvements to maritime signaling, and ongoing debates about zoning the EEZ and coastal areas to create more environmental protection zones.
The roadmap also includes major projects from the autonomous port’s development plan, such as the dredging of the Papeete pass—once debated by Moetai Brotherson—expansion of the international trade terminal, bringing the dry dock into compliance with standards, exploring a ship deconstruction sector, and electrifying ship quay posts to avoid using their engines.
It also specifies that the community will need to « acquire land for relocations » of businesses displaced from the port area for the extension of the fishing port, whose redesign plan is nearing completion. Infrastructures are also planned outside of Tahiti: the government reaffirms its intention to develop construction and maintenance centers in the archipelagos, as discussed in Hao.
Secondary Fishing Bases in the Archipelagos
Beyond these « framework » topics, the roadmap covers key sectors of the blue economy, describing the main areas for their « sustainable » development. Starting with fisheries, for which the Brotherson government has already set ambitious goals.
To achieve these, among other things, the government plans to « develop secondary bases in the archipelagos, » « design more versatile and efficient vessels, » strengthen monitoring and sustainable fishing techniques, achieve regional progress on drifting Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) or the « creation of a high seas protection zone adjacent to the EEZ. » It also plans to create more « circular synergies, » especially with agricultural projects, by better valorizing fish waste. Additionally, it aims to encourage the creation of regulated fishing zones managed by special committees.
The development of pearl farming also requires better environmental monitoring of the activity, « depollution » of lagoons and former production sites, and increased training efforts. Training is a major focus in this list: the government wants to establish a « sustainable » recruitment sector for specialized trainers, « reinvent » maritime education to align it with industry needs, and attract regional interns.
The ultimate goal is to finalize the creation of a maritime vocational and qualification campus, similar to those in hospitality and catering, which would allow for a review and enrichment of the training curriculum, share technical platforms between the public and private sectors, and make maritime careers more attractive to the public.
Demonstrators in Thermal and Wave Energy
The most distinctive aspect of this roadmap is its emphasis on maritime innovation. The government wants to position French Polynesia as a « demonstration territory » for aquaculture, diversifying production and transformation sectors. The government also focuses on « blue biotechnology, » where much of the work involves strengthening the links between research and businesses. The primary focus, however, is on marine energy transition.
On this front, the plan is to improve and promote the SWAC (Seawater Air Conditioning) technology, developing new units in Polynesia, although it’s unclear which sites will be involved. The government aims to move forward on sea thermal energy, which has been seen as a promising technology for many years, with a feasibility study on electricity production and support for private « demonstrator » projects. Another potential technology for proof of concept is wave energy, which generates power from wave motion.
It’s impossible to be a « beacon » without setting an example: the roadmap highlights the government’s environmental and climate goals. These include supporting research on coral bleaching, raising awareness at all ages and within all functions, strengthening biosafety resources and water quality control, studying financial compensation for the higher costs of less polluting vessels, and creating a « Deep Sea Expertise Center » in French Polynesia, detailed in a specific chapter.
The roadmap also includes the development of an « environmental police » for lagoon monitoring, focusing on « sensitive zones » to mitigate the impact of tourism activities. Nautical tourism isn’t overlooked, with plans to « position va’a as a Polynesian tourism marker, » develop more services for recreational boating in the islands, and create « planning schemes for nautical and subaquatic activities » in the most visited lagoons.
In short, the roadmap outlines many ideas, both new and long-discussed, but also identifies numerous projects to launch within ministries and funding to unlock in the budget. After its presentation to the Council of Ministers, the Sustainable Blue Economy Roadmap will be discussed in the Territorial Assembly in the coming weeks.
Source: Outre Mers 360
