This is the ninth in a yearlong series of stories showcasing the research that the Ocean Protection Council supported in partnership with California Sea Grant, with funding from Proposition 84.

Across the globe, no food sector is growing as fast as aquaculture — which means, one way or another, farmed seafood will help feed the world’s growing population. Currently, though, the United States accounts for less than 1% of global aquaculture production. One contributor to the holdup is the skepticism of environmental groups concerned over potential negative environmental impacts. 

One of the best pieces of advice Camila Pauda ever received was given to her by a retired marine biologist. Pauda grew up in Salinas, a half-hour from the coast, and always felt driven by a love for and curiosity about the ocean. So much so that in high school she volunteered at the Monterey Bay Aquarium as a teen conservation leader. “But I wasn’t sure what to do next, how to share this love for the ocean,” says Pauda. The marine biologist, a fellow volunteer, told her: Get a broad undergraduate degree, then find a job and explore. 

Every day that Daniel “Bubba” Lipe leads students into the forests at Mouralherwaqh begins the same way. “We spend the first 15 minutes of the day connecting to the place,” says Lipe, an assistant professor in Environmental Science Management at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt.