strategically located
This academic-industry partnership is strategically located adjacent to Santa Barbara Harbor: an important economic engine for the South Central Coast region. The Santa Barbara Channel is a globally significant hot spot of ocean productivity and historical testing ground for innovative ocean technology. We aim to better connect the City's thriving working waterfront and one of its premier educational institutions to maritime opportunities.
Our Innovative Approach
The Ocean Collective will serve the foundational sectors of the Tri-County’s blue economy, including:
Sustainable, small-boat wild fisheries
Seafood processing and marketing
Shellfish and Seaweed Aquaculture
Coastal habitat restoration and monitoring
Ocean biotechnology & ocean sensing
Marine Construction
Oil platform decommissioning
Boat building
Ocean tourism
Offshore wind development
Desalination
Other maritime industries
Unlike traditional siloed initiatives, we are creating a regenerative maritime ecosystem where:
Infrastructure, workforce development, education, and cultural heritage reinforce each other
Traditional and indigenous knowledge, commercial fishing expertise, and climate adaptation strategies converge
Economic and community development, environmental protection, and cultural preservation work as a unified system
“The sea, the great unifier, is man’s only hope. Now, as never before, the old phrase has a literal meaning: we are all in the same boat.”
