Science Advising
Among OST's ongoing activities is providing science support to the state's ocean resource managers. OST is not a government entity, which enables us to act as an independent and honest broker between policymakers and managers, and the scientific community. Our internal organizational policies and robust programmatic processes are intended to promote and protect the credibility of our products. OST understands that policy decisions are based on a suite of considerations, including political, economic, and social factors; our role is to promote the consideration of sound science in the decision-making process.
Partnering with the California Ocean Protection Council
OST's key partner in our science-support function is the California Ocean Protection Council (OPC), a cabinet-level body that spans across multiple agencies. As part of its core mission, the OPC solicits the best available science to support its policy decisions and recommendations, making the Council a uniquely objective, nonpartisan body. The OPC has demonstrated its commitment to this mandate by, among other things:
- Designating the executive director of OST as its science advisor
- Relying on OST to coordinate the OPC Science Advisory Team (OPC-SAT), a multi-disciplinary advisory body of 24 scientists from a variety of research institutions in California and beyond
- Requesting OST to coordinate independent peer review of all the OPC's scientific proposals and reports
