Project Overview

The Ventura Shellfish Enterprise (VSE) is a multi-party initiative to permit twenty 100-acre plots for growing the Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) via submerged long lines in waters within the Santa Barbara Channel Ventura Harbor. VSE partners include the Ventura Port District, Coastal Marine Biolabs, The Cultured Abalone Farm, and Ashworth Leininger Group. The activities undertaken by VSE partners to advance this ambitious initiative are conducted in consultation with aquaculture scientists and experts, California and NOAA aquaculture coordinators, and California Sea Grant.

Core Project Goals

• Advance state and federal policies to increase aquaculture production and deliver a safe, secure, and sustainable food supply
• Establish a blueprint for permitting future offshore aquaculture projects in California
• Leverage economies of scale in permitting, monitoring, and marketing and distribution that allow small operators to participate in aquaculture
• Enhance Ventura Harbor’s working waterfront with a sustainable and dependable harvest

Key Project Features

• Use of innovative geographic information system-based marine spatial planning tools to select an optimal growing area that minimizes conflicts with other ocean uses
• Deployment of sentinel buoys with seeded mussel rope to establish proof-of-concept, provide valuable data on ocean conditions, and examine invertebrate community structure in surrounding benthic habitat using innovative, high-throughput DNA-based methodologies
• Application of internationally well-established mussel growing methods that represent best management practices with minimal environmental impacts
• Production of mussel spat at an onshore hatchery facility, thereby eliminating wild spat collection
• Participation opportunities for existing commercial fishermen, commercial shellfish operators and startups, with all product landed at Ventura Harbor
• As a condition of grower participation, compliance with robust monitoring requirements and adherence to best management practices established by third-party certification agencies and specified in VSE permits
• Implementation of an educational component through a dedicated marine aquaculture research farm, onshore hatchery, and safety monitoring lab, and structured outreach programs to schools and the general public
• Estimated production of ~20 million pounds of mussels/year at full project build-out, with an anticipated wholesale value in excess of $50 million

Project Status

The Ventura Port District has received a substantial sub-award for the project, which is funded by a $300,000 NOAA 2015 Sea Grant Aquaculture Extension and Technology Transfer Grant to California Sea Grant. VSE partners provide local grant match through volunteer professional services and expertise.

The first phase of the Sea Grant-funded work involves:

• Preparation of a Strategic Permitting Plan identifying required permits, entitlements and reviews, permit sequencing, and key technical issues and information needs
• Completion and submission of all requisite permit applications and documentation needed to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act and the National Environmental Policy Act
• Accreditation of a centralized pre- and post-harvest testing and monitoring laboratory in Ventura Harbor to aid growers in complying with shellfish sanitation standards
• Execution of an outreach plan that includes the launch of an open-access project website and social media initiatives, and the delivery of an educational workshop series that covers a broad spectrum of project-related issues with relevance to diverse stakeholder groups

<Click here> to view the VSE Strategic Permitting Plan
    (State Waters Option –completed May 2017)

<Click here> to view the VSE Strategic Permitting Plan
   (Federal Waters Option – completed January 2018)

<Click here> to view NOAA's Coastal Aquaculture Siting and Sustainability Technical Report (revised September 19, 2018)