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The California Aquaculture Association is proud to share a series of perspectives from intern, Briana (Bri) Le, a fourth-year Aquatic Biology major and Professional Writing minor at UC Santa Barbara. Follow along as Bri explores the vital role of aquaculture for both consumption and conservation in her series “Bri’s Outlook on Aquaculture”.

When I think of all-you-can-eat (AYCE) restaurants, I always think of Little Sakana, an AYCE sushi restaurant located in Mira Mesa, San Diego, which is predominantly Asian. As a Vietnamese-American myself, I can confidently say that Asians love their seafood to the point that people were willing to wait an hour or more to be seated in Little Sakana. Nothing would stop most from getting their sushi fix in Mira Mesa.

Once you were seated, you could see parents enjoying fried tempura and teriyaki bowls with their little ones. Co-workers chatting over some beer and sushi rolls. Servers continuously moved from table to table to ensure patrons were satisfied. Chefs diligently worked to get orders out as quickly as possible. Even with how busy the restaurant was, the quality of their dishes and service didn’t falter.

Whenever I went to Little Sakana, I was only there for one thing: to get my money’s worth. If you’re Asian, you know exactly what I am talking about. If not, the concept of “getting your money’s worth” is essentially eating high-cost items (e.g., uni, scallops, eel) to maximize the amount you paid for AYCE. Other tactics include not eating a lot before AYCE or avoiding high-carb appetizers (e.g., French fries, fried rice, fried chicken). With this mindset, I would order at least fifty pieces of nigiri. I would always get salmon, yellowtail, and seared ahi tuna. I would dip each piece into ponzu before shoveling it into my mouth. I enjoyed every piece until I was stuffed.

As I learned more about seafood in my classes and research, I began to wonder if AYCE sushi was all that sustainable. How was it possible for any AYCE sushi restaurant to produce a copious amount of sushi daily? Is it an effective business model, or is it just fishy business?

Though I can’t comment on how Little Sakana operates its business, I can discuss how seafood fits into the AYCE picture. These AYCE sushi restaurants source carefully to offer unlimited seafood at a fixed price—typically through farmed species. The salmon at most establishments is most likely Atlantic salmon, which is commonly farmed in open net pens in Norway and Chile. Yellowtail is often farmed in Japan. Shellfish are also typically farmed. Without aquaculture, AYCE sushi simply wouldn’t exist. Wild-caught fish are expensive, and their market prices often fluctuate, which wouldn’t work for an unlimited menu.

Sourcing farmed seafood isn’t a bad thing. When raised responsibly and sustainably, farmed salmon and yellowtail can have lower environmental impacts compared to wild-caught, though practices vary widely. Farmed shellfish is widely considered one of the most sustainable forms of seafood production. The sustainability question regarding AYCE sushi is not about the business itself; it’s about what species are on the menu and how they’re sourced. Fifty pieces of farmed salmon have very different ecological implications compared to fifty pieces of wild bluefin tuna.

This is where California aquaculture becomes relevant. San Diego already has a small yellowtail aquaculture operation, conducted by the Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute. For years, they’ve produced products that rival imported Japanese yellowtail in quality. Further up the coast, California farms are raising oysters, mussels, and abalone in waters that are highly regulated and environmentally monitored. Closer sourcing means fresh fish for consumers, a shorter supply chain, and a smaller carbon footprint. If California aquaculture can sustainably scale up production of species that AYCE restaurants already use in their menus, there’s an opportunity to make the AYCE model more sustainable and local simultaneously.

I still enjoy AYCE sushi, and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. But knowing where the fish comes from and how it’s raised, I find myself paying more attention to the menu. Rather than focusing on whether we should eat the sushi or not, we should really be asking if what’s on the plate was raised with care.

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About the Author

Briana (Bri) Le is a fourth-year Aquatic Biology major and Professional Writing minor at UC Santa Barbara, where she focuses on the Science Communication Track. A first-generation college student and Vietnamese-American, Bri is a member of the McNair and FUERTE fellowships, programs dedicated to helping students from underrepresented backgrounds develop research and professional skills. Her background includes studying the thermal tolerance of juvenile giant kelp under Dr. Halley Froehlich and completing a hands-on internship at The Cultured Abalone Farm in Santa Barbara, where she gained practical experience in land-based farm operations.

Driven by a passion for ‘practical science’, Bri aims to bridge the gap between complex marine research and public understanding. She views aquaculture as a cornerstone of global food security and environmental conservation, yet recognizes that it remains widely misunderstood. Through her work with the California Aquaculture Association, Bri uses her communication skills to demystify the industry and promote diversity, striving to make the field more accessible and inclusive for people of all backgrounds.