The California State Coastal Conservancy has awarded the Commercial Fishermen of Santa Barbara (CFSB) USD 507,500 (EUR 436,623) to establish an Ocean Collective to support the region’s blue economy.
“For years, our fleet has worked out of a harbor with no room to grow – no place to store gear, no space to train the next generation of fishermen,” CFSB Executive Director Kim Selkoe said in a release. “This funding turns more than a decade of planning into a real facility.”
Official partners on the project include the City of Santa Barbara, the Economic Development Collaborative, and Santa Barbara City College (SBCC). SBCC provided USD 50,000 (EUR 43,017) in matching funds for the project and will host a dedicated Ocean Collective facility on its campus. The maritime facilities will be located on a 16,300 square-foot area next to SBCC’s Marine Diving Technologies building. The Ocean Collective facility will provide trailered boat parking, gear storage, and a fabrication workshop.
The school will also host academic programming, mentorships, guest lectures, and internships to prepare students for careers in commercial fishing, aquaculture, marine trades, vessel maintenance, marine science, and blue economy businesses.
“This is what’s possible when a college, a city, and an industry commit to solving a problem together,” SBCC Superintendent and President Erika Endrijonas said in a release. “SBCC is proud to match this funding and to be building a facility that will serve our students and the region’s maritime economy for decades.”
SBCC and CFSB have worked together since 2023, when they signed a memorandum of understanding to pursue mutually beneficial projects under the Ocean Collective banner.
