A monthly round-up of news and trends important to the AltaSea community.
New AltaSea Video!
AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles will be the next pioneer in having a premier oceanic research institution in the country. Watch our new video showing how a small group of passionate people can change the world! At AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles, we bring innovators together from science, business and education to make ocean related solutions possible. Support for our UrgentSEA Annual Campaign is critical to our success. Don’t just talk about it, be about it. Join us today.
Marine Science
360 Camera Gives Scientists a New Way to Monitor World Reefs’ Health (ABC Australia)
After one frustrating meeting too many, selling the benefits of three-ply toilet paper, advertiser Richard Vevers decided to upend his career and follow his passion for underwater photography.
Now he is behind the pioneering design of the innovative camera that is being used to record the world’s coral reef habitats in captivating detail. Google partnered with The Ocean Agency, a nonprofit started by Richard Vevers, to allow the public to explore the photos taken by the team on the Google Oceans page.
Mysterious “Hairy Blob” Washed Up on Philippines Beach (National Geographic)
What was initially believed to be a new species is likely something else. A mysterious, hairy-looking “blob” washed up on a beach. (And no, that’s not the start of a bad joke.) Pictures recently taken in the Philippines show an animal-like object roughly 20 feet long, and weighing over 4,000 pounds. At first glance, the strange object looks to be covered in long, shaggy white hair.
Sustainable and Innovative Business
AltaSea’s Neighbor SpaceX to double Its Footprint at the Port of Los Angeles (Daily Breeze)
Hawthorne-based SpaceX, which is working through a backlog of rocket launches, wants to double the space it leases at the Port of Los Angeles to park and handle recovered space equipment. Los Angeles Councilman Joe Buscaino heralded the SpaceX expansion as the latest step in the region’s increasing transformation to being on the cutting edge of pioneering exploration. “My hope is that Elon Musk continues to see AltaSea and the Port of Los Angeles as an asset to his operations and continues to grow his company’s presence in San Pedro.”
Catalina Sea Ranch Raises $2m for Innovative Offshore Aquaculture Project (Ag Funder News)
Way to go Catalina Sea Ranch on the latest fundraising round! The aquaculture farm company is located at AltaSea and it is the only company with a federal permit to have an aquaculture farm in U.S. Federal waters. Their business is a great example of the various innovative ocean based activities taking place at AltaSea. When the campus is completed there will be a cross-section of business, academic research, and education with blue tech and aquaculture clusters making SoCal a center for #innovation! With this gift, the Catalina Sea Ranch has now raised a total of $5 million which will be used to purchase mussel seed and equipment to expand the ranch from 20 lines of mussels to 40 lines in a few months. The equipment includes anchors, 1,400 floats necessary to keep the lines 15 feet below sea-level as the mussels grow heavier and mile long ropes.
Education
Take Action on World Water Day, March 22nd, Tackle the Water Crisis. (United Nations)
Today, there are over 663 million people living without a safe water supply close to home, spending countless hours queuing or trekking to distant sources, and coping with the health impacts of using contaminated water. The Sustainable Development Goals, launched in 2015, include a target to ensure everyone has access to safe water by 2030, making water a key issue in the fight to eradicate extreme poverty. In 1993, the United Nations General Assembly officially designated March 22 as World Water Day. World Water Day is coordinated by UN-Water in collaboration with governments and partners.
Realistic Animatronic Sea Otter Is Created for the Series ‘Spy In the Wild’ (Laughing Squid)
The producers of the wonderful BBC Earth and PBS animatronic wild animal series Spy in the Wild have released another fascinating video from John Nolan’s studio, where he and Val Jones are creating an animatronic Spy Otter who they hope will blend in amongst real Alaskan sea otters in a future episode.
Community
Next Honorary Mayor Event
Join AltaSea at our next Honorary Mayor event, Pie Day on March 14th, 5:00-9:00pm at Big Nick’s Pizza, 1110 N Gaffey St, San Pedro, CA 90731. Current Honorary Mayor, John Bagakis, is donating 15% of the evenings sales (dine in or take-out 310 732 5800) to Ann Carpenter’s campaign. Proceeds benefit education programs with AltaSea partners; the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium and the Los Angeles Maritime Institute. Big Nick’s menu bignickssp.com
14th Annual LA Harbor International Film Festival
LA Harbor International Film Festival (LAHIFF) will be held at the Warner Grand Theatre 478 W. 6th St. in San Pedro March 16-19. This film festival showcases film and video that reflects the harbor and all that it embraces. Seven stimulating programs will be presented over the course of the four days, program information can be found at laharborfilmfest.com. Sunday, March 19 from 1-3:00 pm features Humpback Whales by Director Greg MacGillivray. Following the film, a panel of whale experts and enthusiasts will take part in a discussion.
Gathering For The Grand 2017 – Some Enchanted Evening
Grand Vision Foundation will celebrate music, history and our San Pedro community at the 2017 Gathering For The Grand! This year’s event will be held on Saturday March 18, 5 PM at CRAFTED at the Port of Los Angeles. The event will honor Harbor Area arts patrons, Scott Donnelly and Dr Wade Nishimoto. The theme is Some Enchanted Evening from the film South Pacific. Island cocktails and appetizers, a delicious dinner, a silent and live auction, music and dancing can be expected that evening. Proceeds help continue Grand Vision’s efforts to restore and maintain our local treasure; the historic Warner Grand Theatre, produce a series of community concerts at the intimate Grand Annex and continue to run MEET THE MUSIC, a music education program for 4th and 5th grade students in San Pedro and Wilmington public schools.
Discovery Lecture Series presented by AltaSea and Cabrillo Marine Aquarium
Ovaries, Testes, and Copulatory Structures – Oh My!
The Importance of Understanding Reproduction of Fishes by Dr. Kristy L. Forsgren, California State University, Fullerton
Friday, April 07, 2017
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Fishes comprise approximately half of all vertebrate species, occupying both fresh and saltwater habitats in temperatures ranging from 0–40 degrees Celsius. Fish live from the surface waters of the ocean to the depths of the abyss. Fish have a variety of feeding modes and display a wide range of body forms that allow them to live in such diverse habitats.