Damaged Gear

It was a Saturday morning in the early spring. Cars pulled up to the California Sea Grant Extension satellite office and dozens of people walked inside to sit down and talk. The meeting inside, the likes of which had never occurred in California before, took eight hours.

“That was April 9, 1983 — I will never forget that,” said John Richards, a former Area Marine Advisor for California Sea Grant who was present at this meeting.

It was a dream opportunity for Joshua Suzuki to spend his summer elbow-to-elbow with experienced aquaculture researchers at Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute (HSWRI) where he conducted egg assessments and monitored the swim bladders of captive California yellowtail.

Two graduate students from California have been selected as finalists for this year’s prestigious John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship Program, sponsored by the National Sea Grant College Program. The finalists will be placed in host offices in the legislative or executive branches of the U.S. government that work on coastal and marine science policy for a one-year paid fellowship. They will receive their assignments in the fall and will begin their fellowship in early 2024.

From Crescent City to San Diego, California is home to a string of vibrant and diverse fishing communities. Well managed fisheries for albacore, black cod, lobster, crab, white sea bass, squid, spot prawn, spiny lobster and more provide nutritious, sustainably produced seafood many Americans value and rely on.