Giving back to our ocean: releasing white sea bass

Marlie Langer | Head Editor

December 17, 2025

Here at San Clemente High School, within classroom P-35, Mrs. Brislen has dedicated all of the first semester to raising 22 white sea bass as well as teaching students how to take care of them. White sea bass are a local species, living along the coast of Central California all the way down to Baja California. They have been low in numbers in recent years but have slowly been increasing due to participants in the same program such as Mrs. Brislen. Many programs across the country focus on taking from the ocean, but for the first time, we’re giving back.

Parting on the “Sum Fun” boat, nine students, including myself, went just two miles outside of the Dana Point Harbor to release these fish. Students worked on transferring the 22 fish from three individual buckets to a singular bucket in which they would be released from. During the transferring students participated in checking for their tags, which were put in place to help measure if this project was truly successful. If a white sea bass is caught at the legal size (28 inches), local fishermen are encouraged to cut off the heads and send it to Dana Wharf, Hogan’s Bait Shop, and the Ocean Institute. The heads are then checked for a small tag located on their cheek, which includes a unique number that will then correspond to a date of release and locating of hatchery or raising grounds.  

Mrs. Brislen has participated in this program since 2023, releasing six different batches of white sea bass. In an interview with Mrs. Brislen, she explained how “we do make an impact, although in very small numbers.” She continued on to describe how in the culture of our local indigenous people there’s an ideal they go by called the “seven generations principle,” she explained. Brislen emphasized how “we can’t just think about now, we need to think about what’s ahead,” and raising and releasing these white sea bass was just that.

The water was perfectly calm, the sky was crystal clear and the ocean was just the same. Students and teachers alike got to experience one of the most life changing sights. Releasing fish that the students had worked so hard to take care of was a proud accomplishment for all of us. While on this emotional journey, everyone on the boat couldn’t help but notice a megapod, or superpod of dolphins. It was almost as if the world had thanked us for our good deeds. The captain drove the boat over to the giant pod where dolphins began to swim alongside the boat, splashing everyone on the boat in a cheerful manner. Senior at SCHS Joyful Miller, who participated in the release, described the experience as “eye-opening and inspirational” as she learned how important it is to take care of our beautiful environment.

Thank you Mrs. Brislen for all your hard work and making this amazing experience possible!

To see more of the experience and more of the marine science class check out @schs_marine_science on Instagram!