Seeking recommendations: relocating to the Pacific Northwest

[clammityjane]

I’m aiming to move back out west with my family and begin volunteering or working in the regenerative ocean farming field to learn the foundational skills needed for farmwork in kelp and shellfish. I have a background in microbiology (aseptic technique, good laboratory practices, bacterial culture, tissue culture, PCR) that may be useful to growers. I’m working towards getting SDI certified for SCUBA. Ultimately, I’d like to start my own farm.
For a first step, my spouse and I are trying to decide where we should move to: we want to be where we can do the most good. For example, I’d love to work at a kelp/shellfish farm in an area struggling to control agricultural runoff that can work with nearby colleges or universities that have programs in climate science, sustainability and ecological remediation, or marine science.
I’d also like to solicit recommendations for any papers or journal articles that are considered foundational to new scientists in the field. 
Thanks for any help you can lend!

[kendall_barbery]

@clammityjane The lease/permitting landscape in CA/WA/OR is pretty challenging (more context on CA in GreenWave's lease and permit guides here; refer to Sea Grant for context on WA; and TNC's situation analysis for OR). But if you are interested in the intersection between urban runoff and ecological remediation, you might want to look toward Southern California (I know, not the PNW...). Mind you, no new aquaculture leases have been issued in CA in about 30 years. However, the Port of San Diego is scoping for a seaweed and shellfish aquaculture program with the intention of pre-permitting waters in and near San Diego Bay for bioremediation and other uses. Nearby universities, including SDSU (Matt Edward's lab) and Scripps (Jenn Smith's lab) are working related studies. The Port's efforts are years in the making, and there may be several more years of studies, planning, and public process before anything moves forward.

@schery_umanzor is an assistant professor at University of Alaska Fairbanks - Juneau campus, and has studied the role of kelp in taking up carbon and nitrogen in the water column. Refer to Dr. Umanzor's CV for relevant publications.

Also see this list of peer reviewed studies compiled by the Long Island Sound Study / Long Island Nitrogen Action Plan: https://lispartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/bioextractionpr-2.pdf. Our chief scientist @charles_yarish supported some key studies in the Southern New England region, including Kim, Jang K. et al. “Evaluation of the metal content of farm grown Gracilaria tikvahiae and Saccharina latissima from Long Island Sound and New York Estuaries.” Algal Research. vol. 40, 2019. (included in the LISS list).

Let us know what other questions you have!

[melissa_50]

@clammityjane I am also approaching seaweed farming in Coos Bay Oregon. Here we need to collect small build on what has been developed and plan for restoration.
There is an interesting challenge just south with overgrowth of purple sea urchins that may be of interest check out what is going on in Port Orford.

• Targeted removal: Divers manually cull or harvest purple sea urchins in key areas. For example, volunteers and scientists conduct urchin-smashing events at Nellie's Cove in Port Orford Heads State Park, one of the first restoration sites.
• Urchin ranching: This commercial strategy involves collecting emaciated urchins from the barrens and feeding them cultivated seaweed in land-based tanks. The goal is to "fatten up" the urchins to produce marketable roe (uni). The Port of Port Orford Field Station is running a pilot urchin ranching facility.
• Predator reintroduction: ORKA and other groups are pursuing the reintroduction of sea otters, which are a natural predator of sea urchins and historically inhabited the Oregon coast.
• Scientific and regulatory action: The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) has issued permits for targeted culling at designated sites, based on research by groups like ORKA and the Port Orford Field Station. 

Reasons

• Decline of sea stars: A marine wildlife epidemic known as sea star wasting disease wiped out up to 90% of sunflower sea stars, a primary predator of purple urchins, in 2014.
• Loss of sea otters: Sea otters were hunted to extinction in Oregon, another major predator that kept urchin populations in check.
• Warming ocean conditions: The warmer water caused by climate change puts stress on bull kelp, while favoring the urchins.