Schubel Appointed to California Ocean Science Trust Board

July 9, 2015

Aquarium President and CEO Jerry Schubel has been appointed to a two-year initial term on the Board of Trustees of the California Ocean Science Trust. Schubel serves as one of eight trustees appointed by the state’s Secretary of Natural Resources. Three trustees are selected from among candidates recommended jointly by the President of the University of California and the Chancellor of the California State University for their broad knowledge of ocean resource management and science.

The California Ocean Science Trust works across the traditional boundaries between government, science, and communities to build trust and understanding in ocean and coastal science. It is an independent nonprofit created by the California Ocean Resources Stewardship Act passed in 2000. This statute directs how the board is populated, including state agency, academic institution, and public members appointed by the Secretary of Natural Resources, Secretary of Environmental Protection, and California’s Director of Finance. The California Ocean Science Trust submits annual reports to the State Legislature, providing independent science to policymakers to direct decisions made about the coast and ocean with the goal of maintaining a healthy, resilient, and productive ocean for the benefit of current and future generations.

Ocean Science Trust provides information requested by the State of California to inform decisions about the ocean’s future. While maintaining transparency and accessibility in their work and products, their initiatives span a broad range of issues challenging the state. Specific projects address sustainable fisheries management, oil and gas platform decommissioning, sea level rise and floodplain management, marine protected area monitoring, ocean acidification and hypoxia, human use of ocean resources, sediment management, climate change adaptation, and data management.

The California Ocean Science Trust maintains an online community called OceanSpaces, an official state portal to track the health of California’s ocean. The site brings stakeholders together to share information on ocean health in California. With a shared body of scientific knowledge, OceanSpaces enables community members to interact with the latest information and to make informed decisions in ocean resource management and stewardship. The site provides scientific data from California’s Marine Protected Area Monitoring Program, information on marine protected areas, a list of state priorities for the ocean and coast, and includes a blog, listing of state priorities for the ocean and coast, information on marine protected areas, and a data archive.