Listening to the Sea: Ocean Sonics
Thursday, July 27, 2017
Desirée Stockermans is concerned about noise pollution, but not in the way you may think.
“Under the sea, noise is considered pollution. We’re polluting our oceans with noise, which causes a lot of harm to marine life. They can’t communicate with each other. We provide tools that help researchers around the world study the effects of anthropogenic noise so we can learn about marine animals and how they communicate.”
Why Nova Scotia?
Desirée and Mark were living in Texas when they decided to return to Canada to raise their family and start a business. Nova Scotia was a perfect choice. It’s near the ocean, and has a convenient international airport and strong university research community.
Moving here had other benefits: they could live on a farm and be near family.
What challenges have you faced and overcome?
Ocean Sonics makes sophisticated “smart” hydrophones that help researchers around the world learn more about oceanic life. To export their products successfully, they needed to be able to access and sell to niche ocean technology markets around the world.
Where NSBI comes in.
Through the Export Growth Program, NSBI provided Ocean Sonics with trade intelligence and support to help them discover and travel to niche international trade shows where they could market their hydrophones.
“I’d say that where NSBI gives me the biggest bang for my buck is by going to trade shows with us and going on sales calls. NSBI goes to a lot of trade shows and we go along with them. They do a fantastic job, really highlight all the participants, and they’ve helped us get to not only the bigger ocean tech trade shows, but also to the niche shows where we can sell our products.”
More than 300 companies are doing oceans-sector business in Nova Scotia, including more than 60 innovators of new, high-tech products and services. Learn more about the globally competitive oceans sector in Nova Scotia.
A future in Nova Scotia.
Ocean Sonics is excited about new collaborative opportunities that let them share resources and expertise with other small ocean technology companies in Nova Scotia and around the world.
Interested in export? Nova Scotia Business Inc. is dedicated to supporting the growth of business in Nova Scotia and our team of Regional Business Development Advisors is available to assess your needs and provide practical advice on taking your next steps toward growth in global markets.
Nova Scotia businesses like Ocean Sonics are focused on building a strong and thriving community for today and for generations to come. We’re proud to be able to support them. Our 2016 - 2017 Annual Report tells their stories. View the full report.