Dar es Salaam, July 24 -- Who knew sea cucumbers and seaweed could pay the bills? Thanks to a transformative initiative known as the Bahari Mali Project, where over 400 Tanzanians in Tanga and Pemba have found themselves not just knee-deep in marine life, but knee-deep in opportunity.

Implemented by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and generously funded by the Embassy of Ireland, the project is riding the tide of what global economists are calling “the next big thing”: the blue economy. And Tanzania? It is paddling out front.

“The goal is simple,” said IUCN Tanzanias Manager for Marine Conservation Joseph Olila, during a lively training session for environmental journalists under the Jour...