Charting Seafood Access in South Central LA

Los Angeles is estimated to have one of the highest seafood consumption rates in the nation. Yet, high levels of food insecurity and financial differences, coupled with California’s seafood suppliers targeting specialty retailers and high-end consumers, suggest that seafood is not available to all in Los Angeles. Recognizing that many seafood products provide a high source of nutrients, the South Los Angeles Sustainable Seafood Hub initiative was established in 2020 to support community education about and enhance access to local, sustainable seafood in South Central Los Angeles (SCLA). The Seafood Hub is a collaborative effort between Holdfast Aquaculture, Community Services Unlimited, Village Market Place, Santa Barbara Mariculture, USC Sea Grant, USC Dornsife Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability, the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). 

I joined USC Sea Grant as the Student Intern Coordinator and Research Assistant for the fall of 2024 to support the Seafood Hub initiative. As a student studying business administration with a minor in environmental studies, I was deeply interested in the work that the Seafood Hub was doing to increase access to sustainably sourced, nutrient-dense seafood. I was excited to have the opportunity to propel the initiative forward using my background in business to provide administrative support while pursuing my passion for sustainability. In order to improve access to local, sustainable seafood, the partners for the Seafood Hub needed to learn what seafood options were currently available and where there would be opportunities to build partnerships to increase availability in SCLA. I helped create an understanding of this by developing a comprehensive database of locations that offer seafood in and around SCLA. I also aided the USC Sea Grant Extension Program Leader, Dr. Amalia Almada, as well as Dr. Scott Applebaum, an associate professor for the USC Environmental Studies Program, in designing a price inventory survey of the different types of seafood available, creating guides and informational sheets for students to use as they conducted the survey, and conducting the survey myself.

Before creating a survey, we needed to determine where seafood was sold in SCLA so that a proportion of retailers could be selected to accurately represent the area’s seafood availability. Therefore, when I joined the team, I first created the seafood resource database. Using Google Maps, I identified over 100 retail locations that sold seafood in or near SCLA and recorded the establishment’s name, address, store type, operating hours, and any other additional details I could find—notably if the store accepted electronic benefit transfer (EBT). I then sorted the establishments by their zip code so that USC Sea Grant and Community Services Unlimited could more easily determine which stores they should target first for the survey. Approximately 30 establishments were chosen from the database as survey locations, and about 20 were surveyed by students during the 2024 fall semester. 

While creating the seafood resource database, Dr. Almada, Dr. Applebaum, the environmental studies students in Dr. Applebaum’s ENST 413: Sustainable Aquaculture and Food Security course, and I collectively brainstormed potential price inventory survey questions. With some initial questions provided by the students, I organized, sorted, and refined the questions for fit and relevancy. As the semester progressed, Dr. Applebaum and I headed the development of the final survey questions while receiving input from Dr. Almada, Community Services Unlimited, and the students on the user experience and the question design clarity. We focused the survey on identifying the seafood types available in preserved, frozen, and fresh forms and the price per ounce of each to assess the general availability. As we developed the survey, I also devised a list of reminders and protocols for best practices for the students to reference as they conducted the survey. Additionally, I created an informational sheet about the Seafood Hub, its mission, and the purposes of the survey for the students to carry with them as they conducted the survey should anyone be curious about the students’ visit. 

To complete my time as the Student Intern Coordinator and Research Assistant for USC Sea Grant, I surveyed one of the identified retail locations. My experience was very positive, and performing the survey was seamless. At the location I surveyed, only a few fresh seafood options were available. It was interesting to observe the limited availability; however, that was my experience at only one location and is not representative of the seafood availability across SCLA. I am eager to see my research efforts culminate in a publication about the formal findings of our collective work. 

With the seafood resource database developed and the price inventory survey deployed, contributors to the Seafood Hub initiative could begin mapping out seafood availability in SCLA. I am grateful to have meaningfully contributed to the progression of the South Los Angeles Sustainable Seafood Hub initiative while simultaneously receiving mentorship in social science techniques. During my experience, I was exposed to the different types of surveys that could be conducted, what was required of them, and how to craft clear, effective questions that would provide helpful data for analysis. Furthermore, joining Dr. Almada’s and Dr. Applebaum’s team allowed me to hone my organizational, communication, and time management skills. Contributing to an initiative designed to enhance access to sustainable, nutrient-rich food using my academic background in business administration was intrinsically motivating and rewarding. I learned that I can still be involved in conducting scientific research projects that advance sustainability, even with my more limited environmental studies knowledge as someone with only a minor in the field. For those who are passionate about bringing the topic of sustainability to the forefront of your discussions in other fields of study or your career, don’t limit yourself by thinking that those opportunities are not available to you because you don’t have the same level or type of research experience or knowledge. In reality, the world needs people from all different backgrounds to promote a sustainable future. I hope to continue to propel sustainable initiatives and practices forward through the business sector to make positive impacts in the world.