August 2025 Edition
A monthly round-up of news and trends important to the AltaSea community.
AltaSea Community Spotlight
AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles is proud to announce its sixth annual fundraiser, Blue Hour 2025: The Culinary Arts of Blue Food, an event that connects science, culture, food and community by combining food technology to tell the story of and raise awareness for the emerging blue economy. AltaSea will honor celebrity chef and restaurateur Andrew Zimmern with the Innovation Award, presented by ocean advocates Philippe and Ashlan Cousteau. Phillippe is an Emmy-nominated ocean storyteller, Founder of EarthEcho International, and the grandson of famed ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau.
AltaSea will honor Chef Zimmern with the Innovation Award in recognition of his contributions to sustainable seafood and the blue economy.
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The Planning Report spoke with Los Angeles City Councilmember Tim McOsker—who represents the 15th District, home to both the Port of Los Angeles and the communities of Watts, Wilmington, and San Pedro—on the challenges and responsibilities of his first term in office. McOsker elaborates on the efforts of the City’s Personnel Committee to safeguard essential services and optimize the city’s workforce during a historic budget shortfall. He also addresses the City’s pushback against ICE activity at Terminal Island, LA28 Olympic Sailing venues, tariff and trade uncertainties, and the long-term infrastructure and clean-energy investments required to ensure a sustainable and just future for the Port and its surrounding neighborhoods.
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Equatic, a pioneering company in combined carbon dioxide removal and green hydrogen production, today announced the successful closure of its Series A funding round. The $11.6MM round was led by Catalytic Capital for Climate and Health (C3H), a catalytic vehicle by Temasek Trust, and Kibo Invest, a Singapore-based private investment office with a focus on climate technology. The funding round, with participation from a consortium of global investors, will accelerate the engineering scale-up and commercialization of Equatic’s patented seawater electrolysis technology.
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Harbor Freight Tools for Schools offers skilled trade courses for students.
Led by Dynamic Education, students get to learn various trades on the AltaSea campus.
Join UrgentSEA
No matter what is going on in the world, the oceans continue to bring waves to shore. Here at AltaSea, we look towards the ocean for both solutions and inspiration—the oceans don’t stop, and neither do we.
AltaSea remains committed to supporting science-based solutions to climate change—solutions that both protect the oceans and benefit local communities. But we can’t do it without your support. Please make a tax-deductible donation and join UrgentSEA, our new membership campaign, today.
Upcoming Events
Blue Hour 2025
Saturday, September 27
This year, AltaSea will celebrate pioneers in the Blue Food sector, including Andrew Zimmern, celebrity American chef and restaurateur. As an Emmy-winning and four-time James Beard Award recipient, Andrew is a dynamic TV personality, chef, writer, and dedicated global citizen. He has committed his life to fostering cultural acceptance, tolerance, and understanding through culinary experiences, while also emphasizing the significance of ocean health, sustainability, and responsibly sourced food to secure a better future for generations. AltaSea will honor Andrew with the Innovation Award presented by lifetime ocean advocates, Philippe and Ashlan Cousteau.
This year’s Blue Hour will feature chef demonstrations, exquisite culinary creations, literal works of art from food, live music, distinctive entertainment, and a variety of ocean food and drinks.
Marine Science
Portsmouth is a city shaped by its relationship with the ocean, with the evidence all around in our natural deep-water harbour and rich maritime history. Now the only island city in the UK can boast that ocean-focused education and research is rapidly becoming another key aspect of the city’s relationship with the water.
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An international team of researchers has discovered the world’s deepest known ecosystem sustained by chemicals seeping from the seafloor, submerged in water and darkness. The discovery expands the limits of where we know life can live on Earth.
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2025 is pivotal for ocean action, marked by international milestones and increased focus on a sustainable blue economy.
The UN Ocean Conference, which concluded last month with the Nice Ocean Action Plan, aims to accelerate action to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources in support of SDG 14 – Life Below Water. It underscored the urgent need for robust data and integrated knowledge to achieve ocean-related goals.
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Sustainable and Innovative Business
In the changing landscape of aquaculture, the demand for sustainable and scientifically grounded practices has never been more pressing. Fishlab, a Danish company established in 2004, is facilitating this evolution by merging state-of-the-art research with practical solutions in fish fry cultivation and live feed production. With over two decades of experience, Fishlab has become a vital link between academic research and industry application, creating collaborations that drive innovation in aquaculture.
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The desalination industry is in boom times: Dwindling supplies of freshwater coupled with rising demand are driving annual growth rates near 10 percent.
The industry, however, consumes large amounts of energy and produces significant amounts of salty wastewater, which isn’t good news for the environment. But an emerging trend — integrating carbon removal into desalination plants — offers hope of blunting those negative impacts.
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Imagine a bird swoops down toward an aquaculture pond, eyeing an easy meal. But just as it lands, hoses dangling from overhead lines spring to life, blasting air near the bird. Startled, the bird bolts before it can snatch a fish or foul the water with droppings.
That scenario illustrates the high-tech bird deterrent system developed by Nobify, an Israeli startup using environmentally conscious technology to address one of aquaculture’s primary challenges: bird predation. Nobify’s current system protects fish farms, but the company will soon roll out technology to guard shrimp farms.
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In the first major update on its strategy since 2020, Daniel Hanna, group head of sustainable and transition finance, said Barclays remained committed to the transition because it delivered a strong commercial opportunity for the bank.
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Education
Dive into the latest news about how climate change is shaping the future of life in the water, and all the animals and plants that rely on the oceans around the world.
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Just days after the school year ended for many public-school students, about two dozen K-12 teachers walked into a classroom at Ramapo College to learn about climate change. Some were science teachers eager to go deeper. Others taught different subjects and wanted to learn how to answer questions from students about what’s causing extreme heat and natural disasters.
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Oregon lawmakers recently passed a bill requiring climate change education to be integrated into classrooms across the state. The legislation directs the state board of education to integrate climate science — including causes, effects and strategies for adaptation — in core subjects like science, history, health and civics. The goal is to equip students with accurate information and age-appropriate tools to understand and respond to the climate crisis. Supporters say the new law is a step toward normalizing climate education statewide, especially in rural and underserved regions.