SP INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL | PORT TOWN IN NEON | PREP VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW & MORE! OCTOBER 2017

The New Frontier WITH DEEP-SEA EXPLORER DR. BALLARD ON BOARD, ALTASEA LOOKS TO TURN SAN PEDRO INTO A MAJOR PLAYER IN THE 'BLUE ECONOMY' n artist rendering o the intersection at nd and iner Streets, the uture home o ltaSeas -acre ocean institute campus (photo: Gensler)

The New Frontier T DEEPSEA EPORER DR. ROBERT BAARD ON BOARD, ATASEA OOS TO TRN SAN PEDRO NTO A AOR PAYER N TE BE ECONOY

by oshua Stecker

The view from AltaSeas 10th oor executive conference room in downtown THE ULTIMATE WATERCOOLER San Pedro’s Topaz building is a peek into the future. To put it simply, AltaSea is one big “think tank” for oceanic research, In the foreground, just across the street, a new 375-unit, seven-story apartment commerce, agriculture, and education. Te concept is simple. Build a facility building is currently under construction; one of several new apartment and mixed- where diferent businesses, educators and researchers can work within the same use buildings planned for downtown San Pedro in an efort to increase the area’s physical space to share talents, resources and data, to generate and continually population density. A few blocks away, you can see the Sampson Way realignment develop sustainability within the oceanic “blue economy.” project taking place, the frst step towards the creation of the highly-anticipated “We’re puting everyone together on this amazing property with four historic San Pedro Public Market. Even further away, looking past 22nd Street and next to warehouses to create the ultimate watercooler, to have people address what we the Cabrillo Marina, the most recent rocket from SpaceX lies waiting to be taken think are the world’s most pressing challenges, food security, energy security, back to its headquarters. And just across the channel from SpaceX sits City Dock climate security, and exploring the 95 percent of the ocean that is still unexplored,” 1, the home and future 35-acre, ocean-based campus of AltaSea. explains Krusoe. It’s all a work-in-progress now, but this is the future of San Pedro. Te AltaSea project began in 2007, spearheaded by the late Leonard J. Aube, For AltaSea, the convergence of all this redevelopment happening at once is executive director of the Annenberg Foundation. He was Krusoe’s mentor and the good fortune. Te atention has placed San Pedro on the map, and business owners inspiration for her to take on the executive director’s role in March 2016 after the and investors are actively examining how it’s all going to play out, with AltaSea project’s frst CEO, Rachel Etherington, departed the year prior. Aube, who started being a major in igniting this, theoretical for now, thriving future. According his professional career at Marineland in Rancho Palos Verdes, had the section of to Jenny Krusoe, executive director of AltaSea, the nonproft is ready for the 22nd Street, between Signal and Miner Streets that lead into AltaSea, named after challenge. him prior to his passing. “We are redeveloping City Dock 1 into a cuting edge 21st century ocean Krusoe, who has been with the project since 2011, feels it’s her obligation to see institute, bringing together the best, the brightest, and the boldest minds working her former mentor’s dream become a reality. in the blue economy’ sector,” explains Krusoe. “When Leonard got sick, he asked me to stay on as deputy director of the Te “blue economy” is the concept of using the ocean’s resources to provide project," says Krusoe. "After the leadership change, I took on the role of executive sustainable agriculture, economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs, and director. Leonard was a brilliant man and this was his dream, and I made him a maintaining a healthy ocean ecosystem. Te tenets AltaSea is being built upon. promise to make this dream a reality.” Krusoe continues, “Te boldness and the size of this draws people’s atention. Up to this year, most of the energy has been focused on fundraising. Recent We are bringing these minds together, across many disciplines – researchers, donors include the Roy & Patricia Disney Family Foundation, Te J.M. Kaplan educators, and most importantly, new businesses – to create new jobs in the L.A. Fund and the Leoneti O’Connell Family Foundation. Tey join the Port of Los Harbor.” Angeles and the Annenberg Foundation in leading the charge towards successfully

18 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I OCTOBER 2017 funding the project. (AltaSea also with AltaSea. You can see San Pedro accepts private donations through their is on the move. It’s going to pop. Here, website, altasea.org.) you have an amazing tie to the ocean.” Among the fve people that With 95 percent of the ocean still make up AltaSea’s current board of unexplored, the chance of fnding new trustees, two are notable San Pedrans: materials, such as metals, plant and Camilla Townsend, former Harbor sea life, that could be used for new Commissioner and former CEO of medicines and scientifc research, is the San Pedro Peninsula Chamber high and worth the time and efort folks of Commerce, and Doane Liu, like Dr. Ballard are puting into it. executive director of the Los Angeles “Once AltaSea grows to critical mass, Department of Convention and Tourism it can showcase its fndings with the Development. world,” he says. “Why try to colonize In August, AltaSea revised the Mars when you can still colonize Earth? original costs for building out Phase I, Te future isn’t about sustaining life in which includes restoring and renovating the sea, it’s about vastly increasing the Warehouses 57-60 and the build out productivity of the oceans. Te oceans of an Engagement Center. Originally can produce much more food than it’s slated to cost $300 million, the current producing right now.” estimate is now $135 million. Te cost Currently, Dr. Ballard and his team for renovating the warehouses dropped aboard E/V Nautilus are mapping from $130 million to $15 million, with the ocean foor near the Channel the Port of L.A.’s remediation costs Islands. You can follow Nautilus’ reduced from $146 million to just $6 explorations live online at NautilusLive. million. AltaSea also restated their lease org. with the Port of Los Angeles, who owns the land. Te 50-year lease now lasts UNDERWATER FARMING lue obotics, nc ounder, usty ehangir, with the lueO (top) r obert through 2063. Te most active tenant currently allard aboard E Nautilus (center); E Nautilus doced at ltaSea. “Full permits should be awarded in at AltaSea is Catalina Sea Ranch, an (photos: oshua Stecer, ohn attera) October,” explains Krusoe. “Our plan is aquaculture farming company led by to get the shovel in the ground before founder and CEO, Phil Cruver. the end of the year.” Te company, which is the frst Currently, AltaSea is the home of ofshore aquaculture facility to be Catalina Sea Ranch, an aquaculture granted a federal permit to operate farming company, and is the west in U.S. waters, currently manages a coast base for world-famous deep-sea 100-acre sea ranch six-miles of the explorer, Dr. Robert Ballard, who you Southern California coast, with plans may know as the man who famously to expand to 1,000 acres. Teir current discovered the wreckage of the RMS crops include Mediterranean Mussel, . In addition, 22 universities have Giant kelp, Giant Rock Scallop, Pacifc signed on with the project, with the Oysters, macro algae and abalone. goal of inspiring students to consider According to Cruver, the Southern a career in oceanic exploration and California waters are the perfect place research. to cultivate sustainable food from the Te local Boys & Girls Clubs of the ocean. L.A. Harbor also has an ofce within “Te San Pedro shelf is the largest AltaSea, with the goal of creating a underwater platform on the west pipeline to inspire middle school kids coast,” explains Cruver. “It’s perfect to be involved in oceanic science and for ofshore agriculture, especially for research so they can acquire these new shellfsh. Tere’s not a place like it jobs soon to be available in the future. on the west coast. We currently have 100 acres and we’re starting of with A BIG CATCH mussels. We get a new crop every 8-10 In September 2016, AltaSea months.” announced a partnership with Dr. Cruver and his team operate in Berth Robert Ballard, bringing his Ocean 58, utilizing seven shipping containers- Exploration Trust and Nautilus turned-ofces. A research hatchery Exploration Program to San Pedro. flled with innovative mussel operations “Te Ocean Exploration Trust’s and other aquaculture crops occupy one mission is to engage in pure ocean side of the warehouse, while the other exploration. Berthing Nautilus in side is used for scientifc testing and San Pedro enables us to work with research purposes. AltaSea to advance the vital cause of "Te has a $14 billion educating learners of all ages in science, seafood defcit,” claims Cruver. “We technology, math and engineering,” Dr. import over 90 of our seafood. It’s the Ballard said in a statement. second largest defcit after oil. With In July, Dr. Ballard, who turned all this shoreline, we should be a net 75 this year, led the media on a tour exporter, not an importer.” of Exploration Vehicle Nautilus, and “We want to make San Pedro the explained the importance of AltaSea capital of aquafarming for the 21st and what it means, not only to San century,” says Krusoe. Pedro, but to the entire planet. In addition to its aquaculture “I’m a kid from Southern California business, and as part of their deal with who wanted to be Captain Nemo. I AltaSea, Catalina Sea Ranch ofers an think I pulled it of,” says Ballard. “Tis educational element, allowing students is home. I want to share what I’m doing to learn about aquaculture and its with my home. Tat’s why I partnered impact on the environment and to the

20 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I OCTOBER 2017 food economy. In return, AltaSea patentable idea.” provides rent credits to business Teir frst product, the T100 Truster, partners who provide educational raised more than $100,000 through a opportunities for children in the Kickstarter campaign. community. “Our goal is to create a low cost and high quality product for marine robotics ROBOTS IN THE WATER that’s available to anyone, from Dr. A major facet to the “blue economy” Ballard to a kid just wanting to explore is “blue technology,” or as Krusoe the ocean,” he says. describes it, “robots in the water.” A While not a full-fedged tenant of new innovator in this feld is Blue AltaSea yet, Jehangir is a frm believer Robotics, Inc. (bluerobotics.com), a in the project’s mission and looks Torrance-based company founded by forward to being a partner alongside engineer, Rusty Jehangir. Cruver and Ballard. “We’re starting AltaSea with “AltaSea sounded too good to be true sustainable agriculture and blue for a marine robotics business like ours,” hil ruer, ounder and EO o atalina Sea anch (top) mussels technology, because every predictor he says. “Te most exciting part about it grow in a research hatchery at ltaSea (photos: ohn attera) says this is where a massive amount of is having access to the water and access new job generation is going to happen,” to a community of other companies says Krusoe. and experts, centralized around marine What started out as a fun side research, that can help each other.” project – build a small, solar-powered Tat’s what AltaSea’s mission is boat, guided by GPS, and have it travel about, and Krusoe is confdent that by autonomously from Los Angeles to 2020, San Pedro will have a full-fedged, Hawaii – has turned into a full-time state-of-the-art ocean institute to call business. its own. “In the process for searching for “San Pedro has a very adventurous beter thrusters, we found that we spirit,” says Krusoe, who currently calls weren’t alone,” explains Jehangir, a the port town home. “It fts to have 29-year-old who holds a bachelor’s all these people here at AltaSea. Tis degree in Mechanical Engineering project is transformative, and San Pedro and a master’s degree in Aerospace deserves it.” spt Engineering from USC. “So, we decided to design a beter and cheaper thruster. For more information on AltaSea, We developed a prototype and a visit altasea.org.

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