Navy McKee remembers all the times she wasn't allowed to swim in the water as a child in Hawaii, not realizing it was due to contamination.

• Years later, she's standing in the New England Aquarium, pitching a stormwater filtration system to catch pollutants.

Why it matters: McKee's company, Kai Pono, is one of seven in the aquarium's BlueSwell incubator cohort, pursuing blue tech as investors are coming around to the sector.

The big picture: Investors are starting to realize that blue tech, a sector that focuses on marine ecosystems, can be profitable.

• The blue economy has seen a 300% increase in funding worldwide over the past six years, and it's now on par with the gaming, travel and education industries in terms of market size and investor interest, per European data provider Dealroom.co.

Yes, but: The Trump administration's widespread cuts to federal funding and staff at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration could deal a blow to research efforts across the industry in the U.S.

What they're saying: "The biggest takeaway for me is the importance of private capital in making and building companies like this," said Alissa Peterson, CEO of SeaAhead, the company that launched the incubator program with the aquarium.

• Both capital investments and philanthropic donations will be needed to fill the gap that may emerge in research and development funding, Peterson said.

State of play: This year's cohort had seven members, who developed products to address urban runoff, natural disasters and other issues.

Kai Pono

• McKee and her father, Dan McKee, who has an engineering background, created a flood-proof stormwater filtration device.
• Kai Pono, based in San Diego, has three pending contracts, McKee says.

Crewless Marine

• The Rhode Island-based team created a device with an acoustic sensor to monitor underwater activity, from signs of illegal fishing to submarines.
• They're seeking grant funding, accelerators and other opportunities, says co-founder Steve Bordonaro.

Keep reading: Inventions in aquaculture and weather analysis

💵 Gov. Maura Healey said yesterday that millions of utility customers in Massachusetts will get a $50 credit on their April electric bills to mitigate rising energy costs. (WBZ)

Mass General Brigham is laying off more employees to address its projected $200,000-plus revenue shortfall. (Globe)

• It's the second round of the largest layoffs in the hospital system's history.

🏈 The Patriots made waves as NFL free agency unofficially began yesterday, agreeing to terms with defensive tackle Milton Williams, corner Carlton Davis, linebacker Robert Spillane and offensive tackle Morgan Moses. (Globe)

• Williams, a hero of the Eagles' Super Bowl run, was considered by some the best available free agent.

Harvard imposed a temporary hiring freeze yesterday, citing financial uncertainty over the Trump administration. (Crimson)

🏢 Real estate firm Related Beal bought the Fairlawn Estates in Mattapan and pledged to keep all of its 347 units "affordable," thanks partly to a $10 million grant from the city. (Reporter)

Authorities say the embalmed body found off the coast of Massachusetts on Friday was a woman who had been buried at sea and warrants no further investigation. (NBC Boston)

Asbury Auto Group last month agreed to pay $1.34 billion to acquire the Herb Chambers auto dealership network.

Why it matters: It's a huge deal by sector standards, but also could exacerbate legal headaches for Herb Chambers, which is being sued by a dealership finance manager for allegedly failing to pay overtime and related wages.

Catch up quick: The finance manager sued Herb Chambers nearly four years ago, as part of what is intended to be a class action that could include hundreds of finance managers.

• In its defense, Herb Chambers has essentially argued that it doesn't really employee finance managers. Instead, it claims that specific dealerships are the finance managers' sole employer, and thus Herb Chambers isn't liable for the overtime (particularly for the broader class).
• It's a legal strategy that Herb Chambers tried once before, related to a dealership parts adviser, albeit unsuccessfully.

Zoom in: Asbury's announcement, however, didn't resort to such hair-splitting. Instead, the publicly traded company said that it had:

• "[S]igned a definitive agreement to acquire various automotive dealerships owned by The Herb Chambers Companies ... and includes 33 dealerships, 52 franchises, and three collision centers."
• In other words, Asbury is saying that Herb Chambers owns the dealerships. And thus would seem to employ the people who work at them.
• Georgia-based Asbury, which is publicly traded with a $5 billion market cap, didn't respond to a request for comment.

Go deeper

Airbnb shared its most-wish-listed homes, and in Massachusetts, that's the historic Gingerbread House Tower in the Berkshires.

The intrigue: The home is part of the Santarella Estate, which English-American sculptor Sir Henry Hudson Kitson called home until his death in 1947.

• The Tyringham estate has been passed from one family to the next and is now open for weddings and Airbnb stays.

Zoom in: The Gingerbread House Tower sits on four acres with gardens, a lily pond, stone bridges ... and parking for up to two cars.

• In typical Airbnb fashion, the listing mentions a host of amenities — a television, microwave, Ninja Foodi XL, and coffee maker, along with the usual ("a bohemian bedchamber" with a queen canopy bed).

Yes, but: Pets aren't allowed.

• The guests say they may make an exception for a small pet with prior approval and an additional fee.

Tell a friend

Yesterday, we asked you to guess where Townie had gone. She was checking out the Music Research Library on Beacon Hill.

• Kudos to reader Max P., who guessed the correct answer first.