San Diego was once the tuna capital of the world. Only 50 years ago it was the third largest industry in the city and employed 40,000 people. Van Camp Seafood promoted it as "chicken of the sea" and even today Bumble Bee is still headquartered here. 23% of Americans eat tuna at least once a week! The San Diego tuna fleet peaked at 160 vessels, but by the 1960's and into the 1980's, international competition and environmentalists took a toll on the industry. The fleet fished tuna from Mexico to the Galapagos and out to Samoa. The first cannery opened in 1909. The last cannery, operated by Van Camp, closed in 1984 and 12,000 jobs were lost.
Today, there are few locally owned boats. But many Captains still travel to the western Pacific where the industry continues. For the most part, it is a closed chapter of history for San Diego now. Tuna Harbor, shown in this photo is one remaining vestige of the downtown waterfront. Even so, over 17,000 residents of Portuguese descent, live here, where tall tales of days gone by can still be heard at the local social hall.
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