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Schooled on Fish Shift to sustainability helps local seafood industry thrive
an Diego was once the Tuna Capital of the World. Canneries lined the waterfront, waiting to process the catch. But in the late 1970s concerns over dolphin safety pushed the industry to Japan. The last San Diego cannery closed in 1982. Since then the San Diego fishing industry has floundered. Fishermen have struggled to make a living. Some migrated up the coast to more favorable seafood cities like San Francisco or Seattle. Others quit altogether. Our iconic seafood delicacy, the fish taco, was built around imported fish: Alaskan pollock.
Photos by Sam Wells
Meanwhile, a coalition of dedicated fishermen has worked to preserve the industry. The San Diego Fisherman’s Working Group was founded and is led by Peter Halmay. Just recently they’ve succeeded in establishing a direct market presence for San Diego fishermen: the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market.
Above: Chase Fukushima with Bluefin tuna at Tuna Harbor Dockside Market.
The market is breathing new life into our fishing industry. Fishermen are returning to San Diego to sell their catch at higher
By Matt Steiger
profits, which translates to less pressure on the fisheries. And San Diegans have gained access to some awesome fresh, local and sustainably harvested seafood. Tuna Harbor Dockside Market is the best thing to happen to San Diego fishing in decades, and it’s one of the most exciting things happening in our city right now.
The Past Peter Halmay moved to San Diego in 1975 to start a sea urchin fishery. Urchins feed on kelp and are somewhat predator resistant. The local population had exploded and the kelp harvesters were poisoning them with quicklime. Halmay brought a fresh idea: fish the urchins and let nature strike a new balance. Now San Diego produces 750,000 pounds of urchins each year (and close to 100,000 tons of kelp). A market-sized urchin is seven years old—they are not fast-growing creatures. But Halmay says they’re “fecund”; the population is stronger than ever. “We had huge recruitment five years ago. July-August 2015
edible San Diego
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