50 Year Legacy: Vietnamese Boat People Thrive as Monterey Fishermen
50 Year Legacy: Vietnamese Boat People Thrive as Monterey Fishermen

Aboard his boat in Moss Landing harbor, Tai Huynh, 71, bent over a pile of grenadier, then flung one of the deep sea fish into a large bin. Next to him, Tham Vo tipped them into a 500-pound crane lift box, swigging glass bottles of Heineken between loads. 

In just over two hours recently, the pair offloaded 3,854 pounds of fish after spending 24 hours at sea and another 12 guarding their haul until daybreak. 

These men are some of the oldest working refugees known as “boat people,” who fled Vietnam after the fall of Saigon 50 years ago and once in the U.S., got right back on boats to fish. From California to the Gulf Coast to Boston, they faced grueling labor, competition, racism, terror, climate change, the collapse of fisheries and ever-evolving regulations. 

In Monterey County, they now stand alongside fifth- and sixth-generation Italians in a long line of ethnic local fishermen in a declining industry that just may rise again. 

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Salmon fishery takes another hit, tariff anxieties and a wedding gift worth the wait
Salmon fishery takes another hit, tariff anxieties and a wedding gift worth the wait

For the third year in a row, California’s commercial salmon fishing season was canceled because of critically low fish stocks, dealing another major blow to the state’s struggling fishing industry. While commercial boats will remain docked, for the first time in two years there will be a limited opening for recreational fishing statewide in two-day to four-day increments throughout the summer.

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Second Harvest’s Operation Bridge the Gap, tiny fishing nonprofit’s outsized impact, spring happenings
Second Harvest’s Operation Bridge the Gap, tiny fishing nonprofit’s outsized impact, spring happenings

Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County is grappling with the sudden loss of more than $700,000 worth of federal government aid, with another $400,000 in state funding in immediate danger. The gap equates to more than 3 million meals, threatening the food security of tens of thousands of county residents, CEO Erica Padilla-Chavez told local media at a news conference on Monday. 

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From crisis to comeback: How a tiny nonprofit is working to save Monterey Bay’s fishing industry
From crisis to comeback: How a tiny nonprofit is working to save Monterey Bay’s fishing industry

It’s an era of few wins for Monterey Bay’s fishing industry, but the Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust, a nonprofit that supports local fishers and sustainability in the bay, is enjoying some success and looking ahead. With partners like Second Harvest Food Bank, the trust’s community seafood program has tripled the amount of locally caught fish provided to needy families in the past two years.

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Our Ocean Backyard | Holiday dining and our changing seas; examining the future of seafood
Our Ocean Backyard | Holiday dining and our changing seas; examining the future of seafood

For many of us, one of the dining delights of the holiday season is a feast of fresh crab caught right here in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Local fishermen and restaurants have long benefitted from the economic boom of holiday seafood sales and many locals relish the opportunity to enjoy a “homegrown” delicacy with visiting friends and family. The iconic Dungeness crab, Metacarcinus magister, or as they’re called on the dock, “Dungies,” live in nearshore waters from Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, all the way south to Point Conception, just north of Santa Barbara. Occasionally, Dungeness crabs are found as far south as Magdalena Bay in Baja California Sur, Mexico. Their name originates from the Port of Dungeness on the Olympic Peninsula, where they were first harvested commercially.

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When it comes to seafood, what does ‘local and sustainable’ really mean?
When it comes to seafood, what does ‘local and sustainable’ really mean?

The trendiest addition to a seafood restaurant isn’t a coveted oyster or a sought-after filet; it’s the words “sustainable” and “local” printed at the bottom of menus and on “about” pages on websites. More and more chefs in Santa Cruz County, particularly at higher-end restaurants, are choosing to focus on seafood menus that are considered environmentally friendly, motivated by a desire to use the freshest, highest-quality ingredients and a sense of ocean stewardship, they say. 

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Local Fish Deliveries are Hitting Food Banks Across the County This Month
Local Fish Deliveries are Hitting Food Banks Across the County This Month

Katie Rodriguez here. I recently spoke with the Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust to learn all about their Community Seafood Program. Simply put, it’s a program that plays a powerful role as the middle-man that both helps sustain fishermen and local fisheries, as well as get delicious seafood to lower income folks across Monterey and Santa Cruz counties.

According to the 2022 Monterey County Community Health Needs Assessment, over 40% of people living in the county were determined to be food insecure.

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"Bay Area Fisheries Working Against the Tide of Shortened or Canceled Seasons" on KQED
"Bay Area Fisheries Working Against the Tide of Shortened or Canceled Seasons" on KQED

Though one of its most famous attractions is Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco and the Bay Area’s thriving fishing industry is not what it once was. A shortened season for Dungeness crab, a canceled salmon season (the second cancellation in a row), and climate change are taking a toll on fisheries. We talk to people who make their living catching and selling fish and hear how they are surviving and adapting to this new reality.

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