Daniel O'Shea

Daniel O'Shea is passionate about work in the blue economy and seafood accessibility through proper management of local fisheries. Daniel graduated from the University of California at Santa Cruz with a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology in the class of 2015. During his undergraduate career, he earned his scientific diving certification and conducted research on abalone settlement on coralline algae in the Mediterranean. 

Upon graduation, Daniel taught students in grades 4th through 12th marine science and island ecology at the Catalina Island Marine Institute. After moving to San Diego and working at a small tech start-up building sales strategies with Salesforce, he realized the ocean and its blue community were where he belonged. His experience in marine education and business development led him to Wild Local Seafood in Ventura, where he developed a weekly seafood market in Ojai, California. Here, Daniel developed recipes for and educated customers about local seafood options and other sustainable choices. 

More recently, Daniel has graduated from the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Here, he specialized in Coastal Resource Management and focused on Science Communication. Throughout his time at Bren, he worked on many projects centered on fisheries management, sustainable seafood, and the direct marketing of local seafood products. Notably, he completed his master's degree requirements through working with the California Coastal Commission on a financial feasibility study about managed retreat. His communications capstone project focused on showcasing the return of California King Salmon after a 3-year closure. 

He is currently the Director of Partnerships and Marketing at The Cultured Abalone Farm, based in Goleta, California. Here, he works with Michelin Star chefs to resurrect abalone to its rightful place as a jewel of California seafood culture.

Robert Wyland