California officials have signed off on a plan to develop what could be the largest marine aquaculture site in the United States off the Ventura coast.
The proposal calls for Ocean Rainforest, Inc. to farm and harvest kelp in a 2,000-acre spot in the Santa Barbara Channel. The California Coastal Commission OK'd the plan on Sept. 9 as consistent with the state's coastal protection policies. The decision included conditions – ones expected to address potential effects such as to marine life and the fishing industry.
The commercial-scale project in federal waters – just over 6 miles from the Ventura Harbor – would happen in phases, with the first to include around 53 acres of cultivation in a 190-acre footprint. The full buildout is expected to take
at least a decade.
At a hearing in Eureka, commissioners, staff and others described key concerns, including a potential for marine life, from whales to sea turtles, to become tangled in an extensive system of lines. The project is planned near the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and overlaps important habitat for species such as humpback and gray whales.
Despite conditions placed on the project, commission staff said there were still unknowns. That made it important for the project to happen in stages, with reviews required before each new phase, officials said.
Meagan Harmon, the commission's chair, said she supported the staff recommendation for conditional approval.
"I think the way that the conversation has evolved, the close coordination with our staff and the way these conditions really thread the needle for me is important," said Harmon, of Santa Barbara.
How could the project affect whales, fishing?
The commission’s review was prompted by the company’s application for a federal permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The Ventura Port District, city of Ventura, California Aquaculture Association and others urged the commission’s approval. The Sierra Club, however, listed concerns, from the potential risk to whales to the size of the proposal.
Officials said the design limits any slack in the lines to make them less likely to cause entanglements. In all, the commission included a dozen conditions, which the company agreed to include in its project. Plans call for regular on-site visits, monitoring procedures and requirements to mark and inventory gear and recover lost material.
With full buildout, officials estimated fish landings could drop by roughly $52,000 annually, a figure the commission said does not consider that fishers could make up the catch somewhere else. Landings also likely represent only a portion of the fisheries' contribution to the community.
Before any construction, the company is expected to provide commission staff a plan expected to include a mitigation fund agreement and other potential measures to offset those impacts. At the hearing, a representative from the fishing industry said an agreement had yet to be reached, but discussions were expected to continue.
How would officials cultivate kelp off Ventura?
Kelp would be grown on horizontal lines suspended 15 to 30 feet below the water's surface, according to the proposal.
Seeds would be collected from wild populations of native California giant kelp within the channel, officials said. After seeded onto cultivation lines, the kelp would be harvested around six to eight months later. Boats would then take the harvested kelp to the Ventura Harbor for processing.
The project was designed based on lessons learned in an earlier, smaller demonstration project off Santa Barbara, officials said. That site was decommissioned last year.
Of the full 2,000-acre site, around 560 acres would be used for cultivation, making the site the largest marine aquaculture facility in the United States, according to the commission.
The full buildout would take at least a decade and include several reviews by the corps and commission’s executive director, officials said.
Cheri Carlson covers the environment and county government for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at cheri.carlson@vcstar.com.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Spot off Ventura may hold nation's largest marine aquafarm. What to know
