Ocean Regional Opportunity and Innovation Act of 2025

This bill would create local “Ocean Innovation Clusters” to grow jobs and businesses tied to the ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes. Each cluster is led by a nonprofit and brings together businesses, colleges, Tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, and governments. At least seven clusters would be named—covering all U.S. coasts, the Great Lakes, and the Gulf of Mexico—within one year if the bill becomes law.

The clusters would help more people enter the “Blue Economy” (industries like fishing, boat building, shipping, tourism, aquaculture, and clean energy). They would offer training, support small businesses, strengthen seafood supply chains, and back research in areas like ocean energy. Each region would also get a physical Ocean Innovation Center—shared workspaces and labs—to support entrepreneurs and provide internships and apprenticeships, including for underrepresented and Tribal communities. Federal agencies would coordinate on this work, and the program would track results using official ocean economy data.

• Who is affected: coastal and Great Lakes communities; small businesses; workers and students; Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations; local and state governments .
• What changes: new regional clusters and collaboration centers; competitive grants to run them; a goal for clusters to become membership-based and self-sustaining; focus on training, small business support, seafood supply chains, and new ocean energy ideas .
• When: clusters designated within one year; grants last two years (with possible renewals) and can be up to $10 million each; the bill authorizes $10 million per year for 2026–2030 for this grant program .