Monthly Newsletter – California Coast and Ocean News – August
What’s Happening
California Water Quality Monitoring Council Meeting – Wildfire
The California Water Quality Monitoring Council, co-chaired by the Ocean Protection Council (OPC) and the State Water Resources Control Board, is hosting a virtual meeting on Thursday, August 21, 2025, focused on the state’s wildfire response, including efforts and data from the catastrophic Los Angeles wildfires. View the agenda and register online.
Ocean Protection Council Meeting – September 30, 2025 – Teleconference and Public Forum
OPC will hold a hybrid public meeting via teleconference and in a public forum on Tuesday, September 30, 2025. The agenda and registration link will be available by September 5 on the meeting webpage.
OPC is Hiring a Tribal Affairs and Community Engagement Specialist – Apply by August 27, 2025
The Tribal Affairs and Community Engagement Specialist will be responsible for facilitating collaborative and coordinated state agency efforts to consult with California Native American tribes and engage with coastal communities on priority topics impacting California’s coast and ocean to ensure OPC programs reflect tribal and community needs. Learn more and apply online.
Join Us on Socials for Kelp Myths vs Facts
We’ve launched a Myth vs. Fact social media series to set the record straight about these underwater powerhouses. Over three weeks, we’ll share facts about kelp forests’ ecological, economic, and cultural value, why their protection matters for all Californians, and what California is doing to protect and restore these vital ecosystems. Follow along and join the conversation by visiting our social media channels.
Funding Opportunities
SB 1 Sea Level Rise Adaptation Planning Grant Program
The next submission deadline for sea level rise adaptation planning projects is Friday, September 12, 2025. Learn more about the SB 1 Grant Program.
OPC’s SB 1 Sea Level Rise Tribal Cultural Resources Funding Program is also open, with the first proposal deadline also on September 12. This new opportunity will support California Native American tribes in assessing and planning for sea level rise impacts on cultural resources and ancestral lands.
Project Highlight
Tracking California’s Great White Sharks: A Landmark Project on the Central Coast
In 2022, the California Legislature directed $5.6 million to Stanford University, managed by OPC, for a groundbreaking research and education program to better understand and protect white sharks along California’s Central Coast. Led by Dr. Barbara Block of Stanford University, the Central Coast White Shark Research, Monitoring, Technology, and Education Program brings together scientists from multiple institutions to study these top predators and their vital role in marine ecosystems.
Researchers are using advanced tools, including satellite and acoustic tags, drones, environmental DNA, and artificial intelligence, to monitor shark behavior, identify individuals, and assess population trends. A newly expanded network of acoustic receivers now spans from Tomales Bay to Morro Bay, logging more than 70,000 detections from tagged sharks since 2023. Aerial drone surveys and underwater video footage are helping document body size, condition, and even wound healing over time. Genetic research is also revealing how California’s white sharks connect with populations around the globe.
The project also examines how sharks interact with their environment. Researchers are tracking sea lion movements to better understand how shark presence may influence prey behavior, particularly around haul-out sites like Año Nuevo. Together, these studies are creating one of the most detailed pictures to date of white shark ecology along the Central Coast.
Education and outreach are central to the program. In June 2025, the team premiered a new 14-minute film to a standing-room-only audience at the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center in Santa Cruz. The film plays daily at the Center, alongside an art exhibit celebrating white sharks in a positive and engaging way, helping shift public perception of sharks from fear to fascination.
The project is underway and continues to deliver innovative science and outreach with wide-reaching impact. To learn more, visit montereybaywhitesharks.org and watch the short film:
Staff Spotlight
Justine Kimball, Senior Climate Change Program Manager
Justine joined OPC in March 2019. She is particularly interested in advancing strategies that strengthen communities and ecosystems against the impacts of a changing climate, while also promoting sustainable solutions for the ocean’s future. Prior to joining OPC, Justine spent five years in Washington, D.C. at NOAA’s Coral Program and as a Knauss Fellow at the Office of the Oceanographer of the Navy. Justine earned her Ph.D. from Stanford University, studying deep-sea corals in the Pacific Ocean, and her B.A. in Biology with a minor in Geology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. In her free time, Justine enjoys spending time with her family, tending to her vegetable garden, and planning tropical vacations.
“As OPC’s Climate Change Program lead, I supervise a team that works across a broad set of topics, including sea level rise adaptation, coastal resiliency, offshore wind development, and ocean acidification, among others. One project that I’ve led for over six years involves modeling how land-based nutrient inputs can impact ocean chemistry, in particular ocean acidification and hypoxia (OAH). This work has demonstrated that coastal nutrients, mainly from wastewater treatment plant effluent (liquid waste or sewage discharged into a river or the sea), have a significant impact on OAH in the Southern California Bight. With results like this, we can begin to consider possible strategies to decrease nutrient-based inputs and avoid exacerbating the already growing problem of OAH from climate change. Connecting science, results, and solutions at OPC is what makes me still excited about coming to work!”
Photo of the Month
Have a stunning shot of California’s coast or ocean? Submit a photo to be featured as the Photo of the Month! Whether it’s a serene shoreline, vibrant marine life, or a captivating coastal sunset, share the beauty of our state’s coastline through your lens! Submit your photo.
Photo of the Month: Deepika Shrestha Ross / Bowling Ball Beach at Schooner Gulch State Beach in Mendocino County
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