Our short film supports the collaborative effort to implement a new marine protected area off Carpinteria, California's coastline — the Mishopshno State Marine Conservation Area.
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Off the coast of California, fishermen, scientists, and Indigenous leaders fight for a resilient future… but remain divided over the same waters. As marine biodiversity and ecosystems collapse, one question rises to the surface: Who gets access to the ocean?
MISHOPSHNO follows the initiative to create one of California’s first tribally co-managed marine protected areas, a proposal that could redefine conservation itself.
DIRECTED BY
Lorena Bally & Valentina Scaife
EDITED BY
Tava Kessler
UNDERWATER CINEMATOGRAPHY
Jordan Manning
DRONE CINEMATOGRAPHY
Samantha Mladjov
Our Collaborators
Our Collaborators
California is the first state in the nation to establish a system of marine protected areas (MPAs), similar to national parks, to protect and restore ocean habitats and increase the health, productivity, and resilience of ocean ecosystems.
Why Mishopshno State Marine Conservation Area Matters
Why Mishopshno State Marine Conservation Area Matters
HABITAT & BIODIVERSITY
The area's diverse habitats — kelp forests, rocky reefs, sandy bottom, and an adjacent salt marsh—are powerful carbon sequesters threatened by climate change and overfishing.
WHITE SHARK HOTSPOT
Carpinteria’s coastal waters serve as a nursery for juvenile white sharks, a vulnerable keystone species in regulating marine life populations facing the threat of habitat destruction and commercial fishing bycatch.
TRIBAL & STATE CO-MANAGEMENT
The area of Mishopshno has long been an important marine and cultural resource for all Chumash people. As the first stewards of this land, local Chumash have lived in harmony with the land and water for millennia and have used both the land and water to fish from shore for cultural, recreational, and subsistence purposes.
Designation of the proposed SMCA would add a Tribal MPA to the region, strengthening the role of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians in co-management, monitoring, and marine education activities. The Chumash people would partake in "tribal take," allowing them to continue resposinbly harvesting culturally signficiant marine species that continue strengthening the relationship with their ancestral waters.
“Creating this protected area is a critical opportunity to support the communities excluded from past opportunities to protect California's ocean—it advances Tribally-led stewardship, deepens our understanding of the ocean and supports more equitable access to our coastline.”
- Anupa Asokan, Founder of Fish On
The Collective Goal
The Collective Goal
Decision makers and stakeholders often sideline protecting the ocean for profit, benefitting short-term economic interests at the expense of everyone’s long-term relationship with the ocean. Our film encourages everyone to be a steward of the sea by highlighting the importance of marine biodiversity, State-Tribal co-management, and fishing regulations in a way that educates and inspires the public to encourages decision-makers to approve the creation Mishopshno State Marine Conservation Area.
DON'T JUST WATCH CHANGE. MAKE IT HAPPEN.
DON'T JUST WATCH CHANGE. MAKE IT HAPPEN.
HELP US SAFEGUARD OUR OCEAN & COASTAL COMMUNITIES.
HELP US SAFEGUARD OUR OCEAN & COASTAL COMMUNITIES.
We are still accepting donations or sponsorships to power the production of raw storytelling to raise awareness and push the boundaries of change. This film can open doors to scale for similar, urgently needed initiatives.
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