LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles announced today a partnership with California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to open a field office at AltaSea, bringing CDFW’s Local Marine Operations to the 35-acre blue economy campus at the Port of Los Angeles. This move will enable people – especially students from historically marginalized communities – to become more involved in ocean conservation and pave the way for environmentally focused career paths.

“The breadth and depth of the Department’s commitment to protecting, researching, and providing for the use of marine resources for all Californians is impressive and is a perfect fit for AltaSea’s campus where we’re focusing on fostering ocean research and fighting climate change”

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The CDFW field office at AltaSea is part of the Department’s Marine Region, one of the seven CDFW regions that divide California into discrete, manageable areas. The Marine Region encompasses waters along the entire coastline out to 200 miles offshore, and it is responsible for sustainably managing California’s marine resources. Their mission and goals align with AltaSea’s vision of advancing scientific collaboration for a healthier ocean and planet.

“The breadth and depth of the Department’s commitment to protecting, researching, and providing for the use of marine resources for all Californians is impressive and is a perfect fit for AltaSea’s campus where we’re focusing on fostering ocean research and fighting climate change,” said Terry Tamminen, President & CEO of AltaSea. “Locating the CDFW right here on our campus will allow the Department to interact with blue economy pioneers and the next generation of student innovators more effectively and will play a critical role in growing the burgeoning blue economy.”

The Department manages over one million acres of California’s landscape, and the entire shoreline plus the ocean along the state’s 1,100 miles of coast. CDFW has been furthering their efforts to engage with historically marginalized communities. In 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Nicole Cropper as CDFW’s Deputy Director of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion to help ensure that level of engagement increases, and she is excited about the future of the Department’s engagement opportunities now that it is located at AltaSea.

“I’ve heard stories of folks growing up within miles of the coast, but never having been to the ocean or understanding the wealth of natural resources available to them that the ocean provides,” said Cropper. “We hope our presence at AltaSea will make those resources, and CDFW, more accessible to students in the Los Angeles area who may normally not have access to marine resources. We hope to expose youth and individuals to the breadth and scope of our work and encourage environmental careers as a possibility. We want to foster within them the passion to continue protecting our state’s biodiverse resources.”