Ocean Strategies

Ocean Strategies’ Mission: 

To foster and support the hard and honest conversations that are required to ensure sustainable, equitable and accessible fisheries for generations to come.

Grant Project Goal(s):

To improve coordination and education between existing and future aquaculture industries and California’s commercial fishing community (including fishermen, leadership, staff, supply chain, NGO partners and policy-makers).

Background:

The aquaculture siting and development efforts occurring off the California coast have the potential to exacerbate existing tensions between wild and farmed seafood stakeholders.

The need and strategy for this project was informed by Ocean Strategies’ past 2.5 years of investigative and coalition work within national aquaculture dialogues broadly, and with Pacific Coast and commercial fishing stakeholders specifically. It’s also informed by engagement with the Gulf of America Shareholders’ Alliance (a former Sea Pact grantee), whose methodology, results, and relationships were scaled and leveraged.

Key Learnings:

What challenge/need were you facing prior to receiving support from Sea Pact?
NOAA’s Aquaculture Opportunity Area (AOA) process and the Port of San Diego’s Shellfish and Seaweed Aquaculture Program (SSAP) are new and complex initiatives, requiring careful review of technical and regulatory information that could affect fisheries and seafood supply chains for years to come. Fishermen and seafood stakeholders are highly engaged but often face multiple, simultaneous policy processes competing for their time and attention. Additional resources were needed to translate dense federal and local information into clear, actionable updates and to create more opportunities for fishermen and stakeholders to share their local knowledge—an essential component in shaping sound, practical ocean policy.

What changed after being part of Sea Pact’s grant program? What specific outcomes can you share?
Sea Pact funding gave us the capacity to produce clear, actionable information and create engagement pathways for fishermen and aquaculture stakeholders. We also built on the work and lessons learned from the Shareholders’ Alliance in the Gulf, co-creating the Gulf AOA fact sheet and adapting it for California audiences. This collaboration allowed us to deliver clear and replicable educational materials and be more effective in reaching and supporting California fishermen.

• Shareable fact sheets, FAQs, and a Special Report distributed to 3,800 recipients nationwide, achieving a 46% open rate and high click-through rates.

• Outreach campaigns and social media content designed for quick understanding and broader audience participation.

• Direct engagement through three California stakeholder trips and participation in major events, including the National Working Waterfronts Network in San Diego. 

Are there any key learnings/takeaways that you can share that would benefit the entire industry?

• Early and Accessible Information Works: Breaking down complex federal processes into clear, shareable materials increases participation and reduces confusion. Our San Diego FAQ and NOAA AOA Fact Sheets can be replicated and serve as protocols for how to educate and engage fishermen. 

• Local Aquaculture Infrastructure is Critical: The lack of local demonstration facilities in both California and the Gulf limits opportunities for fishermen and stakeholders to see how aquaculture works firsthand, which is a significant barrier to collaboration and education.

• Replicable Tools Help Scale Impact: Co-creating fact sheets and outreach materials with the Shareholders’ Alliance produced a template that can be adapted for other regions and future federal processes.

• Capacity Support Improves Engagement: Providing fishermen with timely information and dedicated outreach capacity leads to higher-quality feedback and more representative participation in regulatory decision-making.
  
  Learn more at Ocean Strategies

Image courtesy of Ocean Strategies