The ocean covers 70% of the Earth’s surface. Life began in the ocean and the ocean currently supports an estimated 15% of our planet’s species. The ocean produces half of the oxygen we breathe and absorbs a third of the carbon dioxide we emit into the atmosphere. It is a critical source of food and nutrition to billions of people around the world and supports billions of jobs in fishing, aquaculture, tourism, shipping, energy development, and other industries.
In the Gaines lab at UC Santa Barbara, we seek to understand the dynamics of marine social-ecological systems and to develop innovative solutions to pressing ocean challenges. We are an interdisciplinary group of marine ecologists, economists, and social scientists united in our love of collaborative and inclusive science. Our research spans fisheries and aquaculture, small-scale and large-scale fisheries, and conservation and management.
The Gaines lab is part of the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management and the Marine Science Institute at UC Santa Barbara. We accept students through the Bren School as well as through the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology (EEMB).