Blue Economy
Impact
Santa Barbara Harbor:
Santa Barbara Harbor (170 fishing boats, 3 mariculture operations) was California's top-grossing fishery port in 6 of the last 8 years
Blue Economy Jobs Today:
Approximately 40,000 blue economy jobs exist in the county today
Projections:
$41 billion in economic output over the next 5 years
Key growth areas:
seafood production
coastline climate adaptation
offshore wind
desalination
wave energy
scientific research
BLUE ECONOMY
Opportunity
The blue economy—sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and ecosystem health—represents significant economic diversification for Santa Barbara and the Central Coast region, supported by:
Expanding fish populations
New kelp forest restoration initiatives
Federal, state and city coastal adaptation projects
Revitalized tribal resource use & presence in blue economy jobs
Developing aquaculture in federal waters
Co-management of the region’s National Marine Sanctuaries
Tenets
Placing the stated needs of coastal communities and local practitioners at the center of planning and implementation creates success and buy in.
Fruitful innovation requires a robust network connecting academic institutions, government agencies, community organizations, and private sector partners.
Access to sustainable finance and capacity building for business planning and enterprise development is foundational.
Emerging sectors like ocean energy, blue biotechnology, and desalination are poised to create new business opportunities while addressing environmental challenges, but only if we can prepare local workforce and infrastructure appropriately.
Addressing Critical Challenges
Our integrated approach tackles California coastal communities' quadruple threat:
Aging infrastructure vulnerable to climate impacts
Loss of maritime knowledge as the fishing fleet "grays"
Historical exclusion of indigenous communities from resource management
Lack of local training pathways for emerging industries and technologies
Public Policy and Statutory Implementation
California Jobs First / State Economic Blueprint
Uplift Central Coast Regional Plan
Vision 2030 | California CommunityColleges
City of Santa Barbara | Local Coastal Program
California Coastal Act
Master Plan for Career Education
California Environmental Literacy Initiative | Assembly Bill 285