California Sea Grant strengthens administrative leadership with two key appointments

California Sea Grant strengthens administrative leadership with two key appointments

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California Sea Grant is pleased to announce two important additions to its administrative leadership team: Herminia Robles has been promoted to Chief Administrative Officer and Brenda Charuwatsuntorn has joined as Research Administration Supervisor with the Fiscal Team.

The two appointments will help California Sea Grant continue advancing marine research and outreach efforts.

 

Herminia Robles - Chief Administrative Officer

Two Projects Awarded $1.66 Million for Advancing Mid-Depth Marine Protected Area (MPA) Monitoring in California

Two Projects Awarded $1.66 Million for Advancing Mid-Depth Marine Protected Area (MPA) Monitoring in California

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California Sea Grant, in partnership with the California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), will administer $1.66 million in funding to support two research projects to advance the monitoring of California’s mid-depth marine habitats within the state’s Marine Protected Area (MPA) Network. 

Fishing First Aid & Safety Training (FFAST) & Drill Conductor Training in Santa Barbara: August 18-20, 2025

DateMonday, August 18, 2025 | 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM
LocationIn Person
Contact Ashleigh Palinkas (FFAST) | apalinkas@ucsd.edu Kennedy Menendez (Drill Conductor) | kennedymenendez@gmail.com | 510-542-9779

When:

Day 1 (FFAST): Monday, August 18th, 8:30am - 4:30pm (HSI Adult First Aid/CPR/AED)

Day 2 (FFAST): Tuesday, August 19th, 8:30am - 1:00pm (onboard practice scenarios & additional skills)

Day 2 (Drill Conductor): Tuesday, August 19th, 1:00pm - 5:00pm

Day 3 (Drill Conductor): Wednesday, August 20th, 9:00am - 6:00pm

*Participation in all three days is not required. You may take either or both trainings. 

where:

6 Harbor Way

Santa Barbara, CA 93109

what:

This August, California Sea Grant is partnering with the Alaska Marine Safety Education Association (AMSEA) to offer free Fishing First Aid Safety Training & Drill Conductor Training in Santa Barbara, CA. 

The Fisherman's First Aid and Safety Training (FFAST) is a free advanced first aid class offered to commercial fishermen who work in remote environments. The course adapts wilderness first aid principles to real-life scenarios that fishermen may encounter at sea in a hands-on format. Students receive HSI certification in Adult First Aid/CPR/AED approved by the U.S. Coast Guard valid for 2 years upon completion of the course, as well as a free first aid kit (limit 1 per vessel). 

The AMSEA Drill Conductor course is U.S. Coast Guard-approved marine safety training course recommended for captains and crew serving on any commercial vessel.  The course provides practical information on the survival equipment found on most commercial vessels and on conducting emergency onboard drills. Skills are learned in a hands-on format and many classes have an in-the-water, skills practice session.

Registration is required in advance as space is limited. The first to register are the first to secure a spot in the course, so please register early and contact Ashleigh Palinkas at apalinkas@ucsd.edu with any FFAST-related questions, or call Kennedy Menendez at 510-542-9779 with any Drill Conductor-related questions. 

Fish time capsules prove plastic’s long reign

Fish time capsules prove plastic’s long reign

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Tucked away from the exhibit halls of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles (NHMLA), where visitors crowd around T. rex skeletons and a 10.8 pound gold nugget found in the Mojave desert, lies an unheralded treasure — but one that has recently proved essential. The museum’s fish collection comprises quiet hallways of movable shelves sit jar upon jar containing about three million specimens, from a tusked goby smaller than a quarter to young giant sea basses that can reach up to seven feet fully grown.

Fishing First Aid & Safety Training (FFAST) in Ft. Bragg/Noyo Harbor: September 2-3, 2025

DateTuesday, September 02, 2025 | 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM
LocationIn Person
Contact Joe Tyburczy | coloradojoe@gmail.com | 707-599-8492 Ashleigh Palinkas | apalinkas@ucsd.edu

when: 

Day 1 (FFAST): Tuesday, September 2nd, 8:30am - 3:30pm

Day 2 (FFAST): Wednesday, September 3rd, 8:30am - 3:30pm

Day 3 (Drill Conductor): Thursday, September 4th, 8:00am - 6:00pm

Day 4 (Drill Conductor): Friday, September 5th, 7:45am - 9:00am

where:

Salmon Trollers Marketing Association

19292 S. Harbor Drive

Fort Bragg, CA 95437

what:

This September 2025, California Sea Grant is partnering with the Alaska Marine Safety Education Association (AMSEA) to offer free Fishing First Aid Safety Training & Drill Conductor Training in Fort Bragg, CA. 

The Fisherman's First Aid and Safety Training (FFAST) is a free advanced first aid class offered to commercial fishermen who work in remote environments. The course adapts wilderness first aid principles to real-life scenarios that fishermen may encounter at sea in a hands-on format. Students receive HSI certification in Adult First Aid/CPR/AED valid for 2 years upon completion of the course. 

The AMSEA Drill Conductor course is U.S. Coast Guard-accepted marine safety training course recommended for captains and crew serving on any commercial vessel.  The course provides practical information on the survival equipment found on most commercial vessels and on conducting emergency onboard drills. Skills are learned in a hands-on format and many classes have an in-the-water, skills practice session.

Registration is required in advance as space is limited. The first to register are the first to secure a spot in the course, so please register early and contact Joe Tyburczy at 707-599-8492 with any FFAST-related questions, or AMSEA at 907-747-3287 with any Drill Conductor-related questions. 

From Lab to Livelihood

From Lab to Livelihood

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Not long after she arrived at San José State University as a biology professor in 2020, Maya deVries noticed that California Sea Grant was seeking research proposals. The call was fitting, as it was for new faculty members in California. The one problem was that it prioritized research on aquaculture.

“I’d never worked on aquaculture before,” deVries says. Still, she knew enough to recognize an opportunity.

'We’ve done so much already’

'We’ve done so much already’

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Each spring, a group of emerging leaders heads to Washington, D.C., as the latest cohort of John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellows. They spend the next twelve months in government offices, gaining hands-on experience in marine policy — seeing how science intersects with politics.