Celebrating 250th birthday: A look back at the fishing industry’s history In Monterey

Monterey is famous for the sardine fishery that birthed Cannery Row but before that, fishermen were after abalone

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### NEW AT 6.THE CITY OFMONTEREY CELEBRATEDITS 250TH BIRTHDAY THISWEEK.THE PARTY WASVIRTUAL IN LIGHT OFTHE PANDEMIC BPRIOR TO THAT ACTIONNEWS EIGHT'S CAITLINCONRAD SPOKE TOLOCALS ABOUT THEHISTORY OF THEIRBELOVED TOWN.TONIGHT SHE BRINGSUS A LOOK AT HOWMONTEREY EVOLVEDFROM THE SARDINECAPITOL OF THE WORLDTO A TOURISMDESTINATION.

MONTEREY'S SPARKLINGBLUE BAY HAS ALWAYSPROVIDED THOSE WHOLIVE NEAR ITS DEPTHSWITH A WEALTH OFRESOURCES.2993282 TIM THOMAS 55:10MONTEREY WAS THE ABALONE CAPITOLOF THE WORLD GOING BACKTHOUSANDS OF YEARSMONTEREY IS FAMOUSFOR THE SARDINFISHERY THAT BIRTHEDCANNERY ROW BUTBEFORE THAT GOTSTARTED THE BAY'S FIRSTCOMMERCIAL FISHERMANWERE AFTER SOMETHINGELSE: ABALONE.TIM THOMAS 53:15 MONTEREY'SFIRST REAL COMMERCIAL FISHERMANIUSE THIS TERM COMMERCIAL BECAUSEIT IS TRULY HOW THEY MADE THEIRLIVING WERE THE NATIVE PEOPLETHEINDIAN PEOPLE OF MONTEREY, WWERE THE RUMSEN INDIAN PEOPLE.LOCAL HISTORIAN TITHOMAS SAYS THEABALONE THAT USED TOLITTER THE BAY WEREINTEGRAL TO THERUMSIEN PEOPLE WHOPREDATED THEFOUNDING OFMONTEREY.TIM THOMAS 54:24 ABALONE PLAYSA HUGE A HUGE IMPORTANT PART OFTHEIR LIFE, THEY ATE IT, THEYUSEDTHE SHELLS TO MAKE TOOLS LIKESHOVELS AND BOWLS AND FISHHOOKS,THEY USED THE SHELLS TO DECORATEBASKETS TO MAKE JEWELRY AND THEYTRADED IT TO OTHER CALIFORNIAINDIANS FOR THINGS THEY COULDNOTGET HERE IN MONTEREYWHEN THE SPANISHSETTLERS FOUNDEDMONTEREY IN 1770ABALONE WAS OF LITTLEUSE TO THEM.IN FACT IT WOULD TAKEANOTHER 130 YEARS FORA NEW GROUP OFCOMMERCIAL FISHERMANTO COME TO MONTEREYAND FIND THE VALUE INABALONE.RICK HATTORI 00:30 HE CAMEHERE RIGHT AROUND 1908 AND SINCEHE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DOHEDECIDED TO GO FISHING AND THEREWAS A VERY ACTIVE ABALONEFISHINGINDUSTRY HERE AT THE TIMERICK HATTORI IS THGRANDSON OF THEMONTEREY BAY'S LASJAPANESE ABALONEDIVER.IN 1908 VERY FEWAMERICANS UNDERSTOODTHE VALUE OF ABALOOR KNEW HOW TO COOKTHEM.THE STEAKS WHICH NOWSELL FOR UPWARDS OF125 DOLLARS A POUND INTHE STATES HAD TO BEPACKED AND SHIPPED OFFTO JAPAN WHERE THEYWERE A DELICACY.MONTEREY'S ABALONEPACKING HOUSE SATALONG CANNERY ROWWHERE ANOTHERFISHERY WAS PICKING UPSTEAM ... THAT OFCOURSE BEING THESARDINE INDUSTRY.GASPER CARDINALE 03:43 THEJOKE WAS THAT THE FISH WERE SOLDWHILE THEY WERE STILL IN THEOCEANFOR HALF A CENTURYFISHING WAS THE NO.

1ECONOMY IN MONTERESARDINES ALONESUPPORTED 26CANNERIES ANDREDUCTION PLANTS ANDFISHERMAN ON 75FISHING VESSELSSUPPLIED THOSE PLANTSWITH THEIR DAILYCATCH.GASPER CARDINALE 7:30 THOSEBOATS IN THE HEYDAY OF MONTEREYWOULD CARRY IN EXCESS OF 100,125,140 TONS ... SO MONTEREY BECAMETHE FISHING CAPITAL OF THE WORLDOFTHE SARDINES.BUT BY 1948 THESARDINES HAD BEENOVER FISHED ... AND TEYEARS LATER THE LASTCANNERY CLOSED ITSDOORS.THE BLOW WASDEVASTATING TOMONTEREY'S ECONOMYBUT IT ALSO OPENED THEDOOR FOR A NEWINDUSTRY TO EMERGE:TOURISM.DAN ALBERT 4:39 I OFTEN SAIDYOU KNOW AT ONE TIME WE CAUGHTFISH, THAT WAS OUR STRONGECONOMIC BASE WAS SARDINES, ANDNOW WHAT WE DO IS WE CATCHPEOPLEBY THE MID 20THCENTURY CANNERY ROWHAD BECOME ADANGEROUS PLACEPLAGUED BY FIRES ANDFALLING DOWNBUILDINGS.BUT THROUGH THESMOKE A GROUP OFBUSINESSMAN SAWPOTENTIAL.TED BALESTERI 3:42 WE STARTEDBUYING UP ALL OF THESE CANNERIESNOBODY WANTED THEM AND WEWEREN'T SURE WHAT WE COULD DWITH THEM THEY WERE FALLING INTHEOCEAN AND WHAT NOT BUT ONE THIWE KNEW -- SINCE THE BEGINNINGOFTIME 90 PERCENT OF ALL THEPEOPLELIVE WITHIN IN 10 PERCENT OF THEOCEANCANNERY ROW COMPANYOWNER TED BALESTERKNEW MONTEREY HADPOTENTIAL HASTOURIST DESTINATION.THE EVIDENCE WASRIGHT THERE IN FRONTOF HIM -- IN THESPECTACULAR VIEWS OFTHE BAY.BUT THOSE VIEWS WEREUNDER THREAT -- IN THELATE 70S THERE WAS APUSH IN WASHINGTON TOSELL OFFSHORE AREASFOR OIL DRILLING.LEON PANETTA 03:30 IT WOULDHAVE REALLY DESTROYED SOMETHINGTHAT THOSE OF US WHO LIVE INTHISAREA APPRECIATE MORE THANANYTHING ELSE WHICH IS THENATURALBEAUTY OF THAT OCEAN AND OCOASTLINETHE CENTRAL COAST'REPRESENTATIVE AT THETIME LEON PANETTFOUGHT BACK ANDESTABLISHED THEMONTEREY BAYNATIONAL MARINESANCTUARY.LEON PANETTA 03:56 THE OCEANHERE IS PART OF WHO WE ARE ANDWHAT WE BELIEVE IS IMPORTANT TOTHE QUALITY OF LIFE HERE ANDTHATQUALITY OF LIFE WOULD HAVE BEENJEOPARDIZED IF WE HAD NOTESTABLISHED THE SANCTUARYTO THIS DAY MONTEREYSELLS SCENERY AND OURNO.

1 TOURISTDESTINATION IS ONETHAT IS COMMITTED TOPRESERVING THEENVIRONMENT.THE MONTEREY BAYAQUARIUM WELCOMES1.8 MILLION VISITORSANNUALLY AND WORKSYEAR ROUND TO INSPIREOCEAN CONSERVATION.JIM COVEL 10:18 THROUGH THEYEARS MAYBE OUR DEFINITION OFBEAUTY HAS CHANGED THAT WEREALLY APPRECIATE THE BAY FORTHEREMARKABLE ECOSYSTEM THAT IS OUTHERE FOR HOW IT PROVIDES SO MANYTHINGS IN OUR LIVES WITHOUTHAVINGTO TAKE THINGS FROM THE BATHE AQUARIUM IS BUILTON THE FOOTPRINT OFMONTEREY'S LASTCANNERY AND IS ACONCRETE EXAMPLE OFHOW MONTEREY HASEVOLVED FROM THEFISHING CAPITOL TO ATOURIST DESTINATION.CAITLIN CONRAD: MONTEREYPLANS TO COMMEMORATE 250 YEARSSINCE ITS FOUNDING WITH THEDEDICATION OF A SCULPTURE RIGHTHERE AT SAN CARLOS PARK -- THESCULPTURE WILL BE AN ABALONESHELLA PERFECT REPRESENTATION OF THETOWN'S PAST PRESENT AND FUTUREREPORTING IN MONTEREY CAITLINCONRAD KSBW ACTION NEWS EIGHT.