Our Mission

To contribute to the scientific understanding of linkages among human activities, natural events, and the health of the Southern California coastal environment, communicate this understanding to decision makers and other stakeholders, and recommend strategies for protecting the ocean environment for this and future generations.

Our Strategic Goals

• To develop, participate in, and coordinate programs to understand ecological systems in the coastal waters and to document relationships between these systems and human activities;

• To answer the questions regarding the Southern California coastal waters:
  • Is it safe to swim?
  • Is it safe to eat the fish?
  • Is the ecosystem healthy?
  • Are the natural resources being protected?
• To effectively communicate our research findings and recommendations, through a variety of media, to decision makers and other stakeholders;
• To continuously examine the composition and structure of SCCWRP to enhance the ability of the organization in achieving its mission;
• To serve as a catalyst in forming partnerships and alliances which further these goals; and
• To provide an information management system to archive, retrieve, analyze, and display SCCWRP data in order to achieve the above goals and enhance our understanding of the Southern California Bight.