Chris Gorell Barnes Is A Force Of Nature

Gorell Barnes also founded a digital content agency called Adjust Your Set in 2008 and has sat on the board of Eagle Eye Solutions, a digital consumerism business, since 2007. However, this London-born entrepreneur’s passion has remained ocean conservation and safeguarding the interests of marine life, globally.

“The ocean is the most important ecosystem on Earth. If we don't have a healthy ocean, there's absolutely zero chance of us being able to protect humanity, as the ocean provides half the oxygen we breathe, and absorbs half the carbon. It feeds the world. It's vital for the health of the planet and our survival.

“As far as the opportunities for the sustainable blue economy are concerned, the blue economy is vast. It's a US$3 trillion economy. We look at it as a fund at Ocean 14 Capital, where we think that the two primary concerns and opportunities are in food security. We are looking at driving investment into sustainable aquaculture and the innovations around sustainable fisheries.

“We are looking at driving innovations in alternative protein to feed fish because one of the issues with aquaculture is that you're often feeding farmed fish, wild fish.

“And then the other area we look at is protecting and restoring marine ecosystems. We see opportunities in seaweed, and of course, the collecting, sorting and recycling of plastics,” he stated.

Climate change increases the uncertainty in projections of water supply and demand and increases the uncertainty in feasibility and economic performance assessments of water infrastructure. Technology, particularly disruptive technology has multiple roles in water management, across the spheres of infrastructure design, systems planning, and real-time operations.

Recent studies have suggested that using new and disruptive technology could help increase water supply in global water resource planning and management of the world, providing new opportunities for fisheries and aquaculture. Collectively, these changes can help to ‘democratize’ water management through improved access to data and information.

Disruptive Tech Solutions In The Agro Sector

Agreeing Gorell Barnes stated, “I think there's a huge amount of innovation in the aquaculture space. We're seeing a lot of new technologies in data and AI. We have much more efficient processes to manage the food feed, like in precision feeding, so there's not a lot of feed that's wasted. We should also be able to look at disease prevention using AI and cameras, and of course, be able to utilise water systems. So you know, there's a new RAS system I use that has zero discharge, which is incredibly exciting.

“We're seeing a lot of technologies and innovations in the space. The ones that I'm very excited about are our new types of feed, new types of monitoring of the animals and the data & technology that enable farming to be much more efficient,” he surmised.

Sustainable Marine Tourism Is Key

If they were a single economy, oceans would be the seventh largest, with an annual estimated value of $1.5 trillion per year, according to The Commonwealth. With diversification plans underway in the region, developing sustainable coastal and marine tourism has vast potential. It is projected to be the largest value-adding segment of the ocean economy by 2030, with global growth rates of more than 3.5 percent forecast by the World Bank. This indicates that investing in non-oil sectors such as the tourism industry is an opportunity to help better diversify the economy.

“Well, let's hope that by 2030 that we still have most of the coasts because the sea levels have risen too much because of what's happening with the melting icecaps and global warming. I think sustainable tourism is key and most people want to go to the ocean for their holidays.

“I do think that probably the fastest-growing area of the ocean economy is blue foods. I think there's a deviation from governments now that actually, there is a serious food security issue. I think the war in Ukraine has shown a very bright light on that.

“And seeing the fact that, if you build your own aquaculture systems, you can have protein very near to the citizens of your country, it's a really important investment area.

“And, of course, investing in wild fisheries to make sure that the ocean is full of fish to make sure that the ocean can survive. So, I think there'll be a huge investment throughout the blue economy. It's been very slow to catch the eye of governments and institutional capital. And we're only now starting to see the blue economy. On the top table at Davos when I was recently in Washington at the World Bank meeting, the economy was being discussed. So there'll be a lot of investment into it across all of the areas,” he said.

His sentiments were in line with research driven by the World Bank which has estimated that fisheries contribute US$270 billion annually to global gross domestic product. More than 80 percent of trade takes place by sea and the volume of trade by sea is expected to double by 2030.

“I think shipping, marine tourism, a lot of investment will go into adaptation for these coastal communities to ensure that they can be resilient and protect themselves from issues that we discussed earlier. So I wouldn't say it is one area, rather I think the entire blue economy is at a point right now where there is going to be a big blue gold rush into trying to fix the problem. And also the huge investment opportunity that there is within this,” said Gorell Barnes.

Pursuing the blue economy and the sustainable use of the oceans can help enable economic diversification and move the Gulf region towards a post-oil era.

With diversification plans underway in the region, developing sustainable coastal and marine tourism has vast potential. It is projected to be the largest value-adding segment of the ocean economy by 2030, with global growth rates of more than 3.5 percent forecast by the World Bank. This indicates that investing in non-oil sectors such as the tourism industry is an opportunity to help better diversify the region’s economy.

12:09:43 UAE and Saudi Arabia Making Bigger Bets On The Blue Economy

“There are a lot of projects happening all over the world, “said Gorell Barnes, “but the UAE and Saudi Arabia are really looking at the Blue economy. We've had many conversations with those countries on investing in aquaculture, food security, and looking at how they're going to invest in the ocean, and marine resources.”

A sustainably managed ocean sector can drive job creation while preserving ocean health.

“Of course, looking at the big shipping areas, there are opportunities around clean shipping. So I think there's a lot of investment across all those thematics. And specifically in that region, where I think the investment within the coastal and the communities has been slightly overlooked. So I think we will start to see a lot of interest and capital going into those projects,” he affirms.

Gorell Barnes’ connection to the blue economy stems from a deep understanding and passion for the ocean ecosystem and he has developed a system for routinely challenging the people that have been routinely underestimating the segment across various industries.

“What we need within the ocean is to ensure that the capital that's coming in is driving a positive impact on the ocean. So, in terms of resetting, it would be how do we ensure that investments are going into the ocean and the businesses within the ocean that are having not only a positive impact on the economics of the businesses but also a positive impact on the ocean.

“The ocean has a very unique formula. Where there is this convergence of drivers, indeed the businesses that are the most sustainable and impactful will also be the ones that are the most valuable. So I think, we need to ensure that there are frameworks and measurement systems put in place so that the capital knows that it's investing in the right businesses, that are doing the right thing, and having a positive impact on the ocean as opposed to a negative impact,” he said.

Challenges That Are Holding Horses

“I think, the degradation of the ocean is a huge problem all over the world. Overfishing is one of the biggest threats to humanity's survival. And we need to desperately solve it. And we need to create marine protected areas, and we need to manage our fish docks better and create sustainable fishing models and support small-scale fishers. We need to stop all of the large factory vessels that are destroying and stealing all of the fish from countries like Tunisia and Morocco,” he said.

Championing the blue economy is something that excites Chris Gorell Barnes. Despite the large number of the kind of eyeballs on it and resultant incumbent scrutiny, the tech magnate has not shied away as he believes it’s worth all the hard work.

Gorell Barnes, the founder of the digital content agency called ‘Adjust Your Set’, was named by the London Evening Standard newspaper in 2013 as one of the most powerful 'Tech Stars' in the UK Gorell Barnes.

He is also the co-founder of the marine conservation charity, the Blue Marine Foundation which aims to create marine reserves and Ocean 14 Capital an investment advisor to a private equity fund that invests in venture and growth companies and technologies that offer sustainable solutions for our ocean, whilst aiming to generate attractive returns for investors.

Investing In Your Beliefs

“Our company, Ocean 14 Capital, advises one of the largest funds in the blue economy. The fund is investing in food security and marine ecosystems. Some of the projects that the fund is investing in, is aquaculture. So it’s recently invested in a company called SyAqua. It's a business in Singapore and our vision there is how do we support the intensification of the shrimp farming industry so that we can reduce the environmental externalities that farming has on the environment.

“So, this is a genetics and technology company that enables farmers to have virus-resistant broodstock. So that they can guarantee the life of the animals because one of the issues with shrimp is, it doesn't have an immune system.

“So often, a lot of farmers are using a lot of land, a lot of water and a lot of feed because they don't know if the shrimp are going to survive or not. So this enables survival rates to go up, which enables fewer resources to be used and guarantees economic stability for the farmer. So that's one investment.

“Another investment the fund has made is in a company called Tilabras,” said Gorell Barnes, “which is the largest sustainable tilapia farm in Brazil. And tilapia is a very interesting fish because it's a vegan fish that eats plants. And, arguably, it is the most sustainable and efficient form of protein that you can create. And it's an opportunity to create affordable, sustainable protein for a huge growing population. So, we like that very much.”

 “The fund has made investments in bivalves in a clam hatchery and farm in Venice, and Amsterdam. And it has invested in a data and digital platform for tracking the plastics supply chain for large businesses. And the fund will be making investments in seaweed, algae, and insects. And all of the innovations that are coming into the space in both food and blue foods,” he reflects.

Gorell Barnes welcomes space to spend time with his family. “I like fly fishing,” he says, “that's what got me into the ocean space and led to my love of fish and oceans.”

“I play lots of tennis and do lots of exercise. I like running very much. I also like spending time thinking about how we can protect and restore the ocean,” he muses.

“I like being in nature outside, reading and looking at art as well as spending time meeting interesting people and learning about different countries. Hopefully, we can all come together to solve the biggest crisis we face which is protecting and restoring the ocean,” says the passionate marine conservationist.