About us

Program Overview

The Seabass in the Classroom (SITC) educational program was established by Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute (HSWRI) in 2011.  HSWRI operates the program in partnership with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and Get Inspired! and serves schools in San Diego, Los Angeles, and Orange counties. The SITC program is funded through the generosity of private companies and individuals who are committed to science education.  

The primary goal of this STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math)-based program is to develop and teach a novel science curriculum that will inspire budding scientists and expand their awareness of ocean resource sustainability.  The centerpiece of the program for each participating school is a purpose-built fish tank and sophisticated life support system installed in each classroom to hold the fish for several months while teachers educate their students with formal lesson plans covering a range of topics important to those interested in making a career in marine or fisheries biology, aquaculture, engineering or ocean sustainability.  

Students raise juvenile white seabass (WSB) and release them at the end of the semester into local waters. During the time that these fish are in the classroom, students are learning about the sustainability and conservation of a natural resource through the practices of environmental science, including: the importance of daily water quality monitoring, animal husbandry important to both animal and human health, and engineering principles behind tank design and functionality.  This program is incorporated into HSWRI's ongoing Ocean Resources and Enhancement Program (OREHP), an initiative that has been replenishing depleted stocks of white seabass in southern California since 1983.

Program Outline

1. Teachers instruct their classes with the pre-delivery lessons and students take the pre-participation assessment prior to their involvement in the program.

2. HSWRI delivers fish and educational materials to the school and students take baseline measurements of the fish on the day of delivery.

3. Students learn from a selection of lesson plans and take a tour of HSWRI’s fish hatchery  in Carlsbad, CA.

4. HSWRI and the students tag each fish  in a hands-on classroom lesson.

5. Students release the WSB into the ocean at a local beach or harbor.

6. Students take the post-participation assessment test.

7. Teachers and students ready the tank for a new batch of fish for the next semester.

Our Parent Program: OREHP

The Seabass in the Classroom program is a formal component of the Ocean Resources Enhancement and Hatchery Program (OREHP), although it is funded separately through private contributions to HSWRI. This OREHP represents a unique partnership between California state resources agencies, public utility companies, volunteer fishing groups, and the scientific community. The purpose of the OREHP is to investigate the potential for proactively counteracting the depletion of California's coastal marine fisheries through stock enhancement, the release of cultured juvenile fish into the wild.

The OREHP began in 1982 with legislation funding the program's initial nine-year research effort. In 1991, the legislation was re-authorized for an additional ten years which allowed the program to expand its scope. The research is funded through stamps on fishing licenses for all saltwater anglers south of Point Arguello, CA.; federal funding from the Sport Fish Restoration Act (SFRA) program; and grants and contributions received by HSWRI.

The program is managed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife with the assistance of an advisory panel consisting of academic and management agency scientists, representatives of commercial and recreational fishing groups, and the aquaculture industry. OREHP is operated by Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute, who has developed the culture protocols and assessment techniques required to run the program and evaluate the impact of the hatchery-reared fish on the wild fishery.

The first experimental release of more than 2000 juvenile white seabass took place in October 1986 in Mission Bay, San Diego. Since then, the program has released over 2.5 million juvenile white seabass into the waters of southern California.

In October 1995, the Leon Raymond Hubbard, Jr. Marine Fish Hatchery was built in Carlsbad, CA on land donated by San Diego Gas & Electric and currently owned by NRG. The hatchery is capable of producing thousands of juvenile white seabass annually. Once the fish are 3” in length, HSWRI tags each fish and then delivers them to  "growout" pens where they are reared to 8-12” in size. Currently there are 11 growout facilities that span geographically from San Diego to Ventura and most are run by volunteer recreational fishermen associated with the Coastal Conservation Association California.

The OREHP is one of the few stocking programs dedicated to assessing the biological and economic impacts of its releases, and it is the only program of its kind on the West Coast of the US. Through its responsible approach and extensive, self-imposed scientific review process, the OREHP has established itself as a model for restocking programs worldwide.

Our Staff