Professionals and sea lovers meet for three days in Canet-en-Roussillon

It is in Canet-en-Roussillon (Pyrénées-Orientales) in the Éric Tabarly gymnasium, a few meters from its marina where dozens of sailboats anchor, that the second edition of the meeting dedicated to the blue economy, the Blue Tech Show. Open to professionals and the general public, this show, with its 31 exhibitors, aims to highlight economic activities linked to the sea, the coast and the coasts in all their facets: boat manufacturers, start-ups working on plastics biodegradable or on the 3D manufacturing of artificial reefs, manufacturer of tailor-made covers to protect the hull of boats against fouling…

The general public especially expected on Saturday

Coming as neighbors, the second year students in the nautical maintenance section of the Rosa Luxembourg high school are among the first visitors. Everyone is preparing to take their BIMer, the sea initiation certificate, at the end of the year. Accompanied by their teacher, they go from stand to stand. Mélanie, 15, listens attentively to the explanations provided by the Hérault start-up Lineup Ocean which, with the Perpignan company 3D Concrete, manufactures artificial reefs. “Living with my father on a boat myself, I am particularly sensitive to everything that is done to preserve marine biodiversity,” confides the woman who would like to specialize in boat repair. “Once I get my baccalaureate, I plan to join the Navy. »

If the first two days of the show should attract professionals and students, the organizers expect to welcome more of the general public on Saturday. At 2 p.m., the documentary “Plastique, le suicide collective” will be screened at the Canet-en-Roussillon film club in the presence of its director, Peter Charaf. “The film shows images from around the world of what is happening today. The title can be a little scary but in the end we talk about possible alternatives! », assures Anne-Leïla Meistertzheim, the organizer of the Blue Tech Show.

Also a researcher, she is at the head of the start-up Plastic@Sea, based in Banyuls-sur-Mer and specialized in assessing the impact of plastics in marine ecosystems. On her stand, she explains to visitors that there are different categories of plastics. Although she knows that we cannot completely ban plastic, “we can however reduce its use by replacing it with glass for example or finding alternatives such as biodegradable plastic. This is what we are working towards.”