REPORTS & PAPERS

This article highlights findings from our new Ocean Access study on the persistent barriers that prevent many low-income and historically marginalized Californians from accessing and benefiting from the coast. It describes how financial, physical, social, cultural, and informational barriers can affect not only whether people visit coastal areas, but also whether they feel welcome, safe, and able to build lasting relationships with the ocean.

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The article also discusses potential pathways toward more equitable coastal access, including improved public transportation, reduced parking costs, greater investment in underserved coastal communities, Tribal co-stewardship, and more inclusive coastal management.

Our first peer-reviewed paper from the Ocean Access project, published in Nature Communications, examines how access to the coast and ocean contributes to human wellbeing and how barriers shape those benefits.

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Based on 1,691 surveys conducted across central California, the study found that non-material benefits from the ocean—such as personal wellbeing, connection, and relationships—were more important to participants than material benefits such as income or employment. It also found that vulnerable and underserved communities face personal, physical and environmental, and knowledge-related barriers that can limit their ability to access the ocean and experience these benefits.

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The findings highlight the need for more inclusive and equity-centered approaches to coastal and ocean management.

This report was developed through a collaborative effort led by the California Ocean Science Trust (OST), in coordination with the California Ocean Protection Council and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Informed by a multidisciplinary science working group—including Dr. Jennifer Selgrath, Ocean Access Project leader—and additional contributors, it provides recommendations to strengthen the integration of social science into the monitoring and management of California’s Marine Protected Area (MPA) Network. The findings aim to support more inclusive, informed, and effective ocean governance.

This Tribal report shares perspectives from Tribal communities along California’s Central Coast on ocean access, stewardship, and cultural revitalization. It highlights how relationships with the ocean are rooted in reciprocity, responsibility, and care, while also documenting the structural barriers that continue to limit access. The report points to solutions grounded in Tribal leadership—including co-management, recognition of cultural practices, and investments in community and youth—as essential pathways toward more equitable and regenerative ocean management.

Our Ocean Access Phase I report highlights how Californians experience and benefit from the ocean—and how these experiences differ across groups and demographics. Through community-engaged research—including interviews, focus groups, case studies, and more than 2,100 survey responses—we partnered with Tribal communities, fishers, and environmentally disadvantaged groups to understand barriers, values, and opportunities for ocean access across Central California. The findings point to ways that marine management, including the state’s MPA network, can better advance equity, support community wellbeing, and strengthen the next generation of ocean advocates and stewards.