"Harvest to Heal" Documentary to make World Premier at Santa Barbara Surf Film Festival

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (Nov. 11, 2026) —  "Harvest to Heal," a new feature-length documentary exploring efforts to restore disappearing kelp forests off the California coast, will make its world premiere on Thursday, November 12, 2026, at 3:30 p.m. at the historic Arlington Theatre as part of the Santa Barbara Surf Film Festival.. The film, produced by Commercial Fishermen of Santa Barbara (CFSB) and Blue Ocean Productions, reflects a growing partnership between CFSB and Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) through the Ocean Collective, a regional blue economy coalition.

The documentary follows an ambitious kelp restoration project off San Miguel Island that brings together scientists, commercial urchin divers, conservationists, and local businesses to address a growing environmental challenge.

SBCC film student Ana Victoria Sanchez served as cinematography assistant, with support from fellow film studies student Andrea Weaver. SBCC horticulture student Tim Wardlaw, who appears in the film, played a key role in studying and processing the harvested urchin through his job with Get Hooked Seafood. Film Studies faculty member Michael Albright helped make these student opportunities possible. Environmental Studies and Biology faculty member Michelle Paddack advised on ways to involve students in the science, and those opportunities will expand as this pilot grows into a larger, ongoing kelp forest restoration program for the region.

Workforce training is a goal of the Ocean Collective – to prepare students for careers in commercial fishing and aquaculture, marine trades, vessel maintenance, marine science,habitat restoration, and blue economy business and logistics. Since 2023, CFSB and SBCC have worked together to plan new Blue Economy programs at SBCC, including associate degrees and career technical certificates. These programs will be paired with mentorship, guest lectures, and internships led by maritime professionals, with a focus on tribal youth and underrepresented groups. To meet urgent needs for more maritime space and connect students with blue economy employers, the Ocean Collective Yard at SBCC will be built on 16,300 square feet of undeveloped land on the east side of Loma Alta Street, between SBCC’s Marine Diving Technology (MDT) building and the campus footbridge.

Kelp forests, among the ocean's most productive ecosystems, are disappearing along parts of the California coast and around the world. In some areas, overgrazing by purple sea urchins has transformed once-thriving underwater forests into urchin barrens, threatening marine biodiversity and the coastal communities that depend on healthy oceans.

The restoration project, led by marine scientist Kim Selkoe, Ph.D., of CFSB with scientific research led by Dr. Jenn Caselle of UC Santa Barbara, explores how harvesting purple sea urchins can help kelp forests recover while creating potential economic opportunities for local fishing communities.

 “Our urchin divers know these reefs better than anyone, and this project puts that knowledge and their vessels to work bringing the kelp back,” said Dr. Selkoe. “Working with commercial divers let us take on restoration at the backside of San Miguel Island, one of the wildest and hardest-to-reach places in all of California. Bringing fishermen, scientists, and local businesses together to design and test a new approach to kelp restoration here has been the most rewarding and fun project of my career, and I’m thrilled to share it with our community.”

Filmed over two years by Ventura-based filmmaker and Director of Photography Jim Knowlton of Blue Ocean Productions, Harvest to Heal documents the challenges of conducting underwater research and restoration at remote San Miguel Island, approximately 45 miles offshore. Through underwater cinematography and personal stories from those directly involved, the film explores how collaboration between fishermen, scientists, and conservationists can help restore marine ecosystems. The project involves a broad network of Santa Barbara-area organizations and businesses, including CFSB, UC Santa Barbara, The Nature Conservancy, The Cultured Abalone Farm, and Marino Soil Foods.

“I've been diving at San Miguel Island for decades, and it's one of the most extraordinary places I've explored underwater,” said Knowlton. “Through Harvest to Heal, I've had the opportunity to share the beauty of this special place while telling the story of scientists, fishermen, and conservationists working together to restore kelp forests. The film shows what's possible when people come together to protect and restore our oceans, offering a message of hope for the future.”

The feature-length film's world premiere at the Santa Barbara Surf Film Festival brings this locally rooted environmental story to the community where much of the restoration effort began. Funding for the film was generously provided by Eric and Wendy Schmidt and the Santa Barbara County Fish & Wildlife Commission.

 

Screening Information