Industry, still one of the most significant sectors of the economy, is undergoing permanent quantitative and qualitative changes. Therefore it should be the subject of not only business analyses, but also research which more broadly explain our reality in the environmental, social and economic dimensions, noting the more and more complex relations between the elements, sets and even entire systems functioning in various spatial arrangements. The research on the changes in industry structures implemented by Polish researchers representing various fields of science has been an essential element of the cognitive process for many years. Among them are also geographers for whom the spatial aspects (the characteristics and issues) of industrial activity seem particularly significant. However, the issues handled by them mostly regard land areas. Therefore, there is also a strong need for wide-range theoretical and applicable research on the identification of sea and coastal areas functioning on the basis of diversified industrial structures, using the previous academic achievements, including the achievements of the Polish economic sea geography.