When it comes to long standing fishing heritage in the Monterey Bay, you'd be hard pressed to find a family more deeply rooted than the Aliottis. Adam Aliotti is a fourth generation fisherman making the Monterey Bay his home and livelihood. Originally from Italy, Adam's great grandfather, Salvatore Mirabella, made a living fishing seiners part of the year and fishing salmon in Bristol Bay Alaska. Adam's grandfather, Giuseppe Aliotti, fished albacore, salmon and octopus, the way his family did back in the Mediterranean. It was with wicker woven octopus traps that Giuseppe stumbled upon and pioneered the spot prawn fishery in California in the '50s and worked with Governor Brown Sr. to establish the fishery back in the '70s. 

Adam started fishing with his grandfather at just 6 years old, chasing king salmon. At 17 he was fishing full-time and hasn't stopped. On his boat, the FV Ocean Warrior, Adam fishes primarily spot prawns and is one of only a handful of boats permitted to catch this highly prized and sought after species. During the off season, Adam fishes king salmon, black cod, and albacore.

When it comes to his favorite fish to catch, without question it is king salmon. Not because they are exciting to catch or delicious to eat, but because of the nostalgia. He loves trolling and working up and down the coast, remembering his childhood and fishing with his grandfather. Ironically, king salmon is his least favorite fish to eat.

Adam's favorite fish to eat is white seabass on the bar-b-que, Italian style, with chopped tomatoes, garlic, fresh basil, olive oil, and a little red wine vinegar. 

Bocci’s call to the ocean and fishing began as a child, fishing with his father on the family’s little skiff out on San Francisco Bay. On weekends, his family would escape the city and stay in their cabin in Capitola. 

When he got older he had the opportunity to move to Santa Cruz, working as a garbage truck driver. He worked the early mornings for many years, and began fishing evenings and weekends. Eventually he bought his first boat, an old Monterey named “Sam Crab West,” and kept it in Moss Landing harbor.

His career as a garbage truck driver progressed until he was managing the department. Nevertheless, with only 5 years left until retirement, he decided to quit and pursue fishing full time. “It was an easy decision,” he recalls. He took out his retirement and bought his boat, the FV Bocci Boy, the name he was given as a child playing at the bocce courts.

Santa Cruz harbor was newly built, and he was invited to be one of the first commercial fishermen to hail it as his home port. Since then, Bocci has seen many fishermen come and go through the years. He’s seen the harbor change dramatically from two docks and no upper harbor to what we see today: a bustling harbor full of yachts and recreational boats, and a shrinking commercial fleet.

Bocci Boy is still making a go of it and knows these waters probably better than most. He mostly fishes for salmon and rockfish, and is well known in the harbor for catching and selling live bait for recreational and commercial fishermen. When he’s not fishing, you can find him most days at the end of “S” Dock.

Geoff is a 4th generation commercial fisherman. His personal story and the stories he tells of his father and grandfather weave throughout the history of fishing in California, at a time when crab was sold by the dozen, and measured from front to back, not side to side.

His boat, the FV Miss Moriah (at the time named Mary Vincent), was a boat he fell in love with as a child. Built in Moss Landing, it was one of the last boats built by Martin Allen for Bill Mertha. In 2016 when Geoff was looking for a boat, his dad told him to “Call Bill.” The boat wasn't on the market, but he had a feeling that he was ready to pass it on to the next promising fisherman. Bill and Geoff made a deal. Geoff deconstructed the boat to expose every wire, hydraulic, and frame. Learning every inch of the boat he reconstructed it with intention and attention which meant a new engine, and lots of stainless steel. There is something to be said about a fisherman and his boat. As Geoff proudly describes FV Miss Moriah: “You’d be hard pressed to find a more well-rounded boat. It's fished salmon, albacore, crab and now groundfish”

Geoff is a member of the California Groundfish Collective and, together with his sister Lisa, runs Bettencourt Fisheries and Morning Star Fisheries. They are one of the few boats on the coast reimagining the future of trawl boats at the intersection of sustainability and new markets.

Geoff’s favorite fish to cook is petrale and chilipepper rockfish - baked. “Just a little olive oil, some spices, light smear of pesto when finishing. Baked halibut is great with shaved macadamia nuts right at the end. Lightly toasted and browned.” One of his favorite classics is halibut wrapped in bacon.

When asked what he is hopeful for he said “I’m happy to see young guys in the fishery. I really want to see the heritage continue.”

Dave loves the ocean and saltwater. He started fishing at Coyote Point in San Mateo years ago and hasn't quit. Today, he lives in Aromas and makes a living as a real estate broker as well as a commercial fisherman. He believes that living in north Monterey County allows him to enjoy some of the best saltwater fishing anywhere!

His favorite fish to catch AND eat is California halibut, because they're tasty and close to shore. His favorite preparation is beer battered and deep fried. 

Dave says that there’s a lot of skill and attention to detail that goes into commerical fishing, and it takes years to perfect techniques. The best part of fishing in Monterey Bay: it’s one hobby that (sometimes) pays for itself! 

Kevin Butler grew up fishing and foraging up and down the California coast and ended up in Santa Cruz for the last 4 decades. He brought his fresh catches home and learned to prepare them. As a child, he preferred salmon roe and sea urchin to soda and candy, outdoors to the inside. His childhood passions have developed into his current careers: a fisherman and chef.

He now fishes commercially for halibut, seabass, lingcod, rockfish, and sand dabs. He feels more comfortable on the water than on land. “When I go out fishing, I never have any idea how the day will work out," he said.  “But I’m away from cell phones, and land that can sometimes be claustrophobic.”

He not only sells seafood to Real Good Fish, but also works with Real Good Fish as our chef, preparing seafood for our events and doing our cooking demonstrations. He was the Executive Chef at Café Rio in Aptos, and enjoys showing people how really great local seafood can be.  “Instead of teaching or talking to people about how good fish can be, I got into showing them." If you've tried his chowder, anchovies or squid calamari at our events, you'll experience this for yourself. 

Skylar is talented in two of the most difficult and intuitive disciplines: fishing and music. Born and raised in Pacific Grove, he remembers his childhood at Lover’s Point fishing, diving, and surfing. By the time he was 17 he got his first boat for $500, a little skiff that got him on the water sport fishing. His first experience on a commercial boat was on the iconic, FV San Giovanni out of Monterey, with Captain Jiri Nozicka. From there his list of boats and fishing experiences span from salmon in Bristol Bay to crabbing in Half-moon bay and longlining in the Monterey Bay. 

With the money he made fishing in Alaska he bought the FV Sable and fishes rock crab, rockfish, and salmon. Most recently he's been fishing the FV Ocean Warrior, an impressive boat built in Nova Scotia that is set up to fish spot prawns and king salmon. 

As Skylar so eloquently puts it “Fishing is my livelihood, sometimes feels like it’s just a job, but I quickly begin missing it if I haven't been doing it for a while. I love being on the ocean, for the people, and the stories. Once you’ve had a taste of the ocean air it its hard to walk away - It’s one of those places where life happens.”

When Skylar isn’t fishing he’s playing drums for a few local bands like the Gary Meek Quintet, in Monterey and LA, as well as club work with top 40 dance bands, like the Joint Chiefs, and The Minor Williams Band.

Skylar’s favorite fish to eat is calamari, breaded and baked, or prepared Sicilian style with olives, capers and tomatoes.

When he was 5, Barry's father gave him a pair of rugby boots and a fishing rod. He made good use of both, eventually becoming a professional rugby player and a commercial fisherman. While he no longers plays professional rugby, he still fishes commercially.

Originally from New Zealand, he left as a young man for better work opportunities in Australia. He bought a Bedford bus and a fishing boat, and toured the country fishing everywhere from Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia to the Daintree River system in northern Queensland, for 20 years.

He came to the U.S. in 2002 and ended up in Half Moon Bay fishing for king salmon, which reminded him of the trout he grew up with in New Zealand - in a much bigger version. He bought his current boat, a 40-foot Hansen called Rosella, in 2012. 

What does he love about fishing? "There's a freedom to it. Even with the regulations, there's a great contact with nature that's realistic. Sometimes you're worried about your life, but it's real. Trying to save the planet from a position of safety can make it hard to understand what's involved and what's needed."

When does he plan to retire? "With my last breath." We are grateful to have Barry fishing for us!

Calder has been a fishermen since day one. Learning to fish with his father, Richard, and uncle, Daniel, he was a deckhand until he was old enough to run his own boat. For many years while their company, Sea Harvest, was more involved with processing, Calder was running the crab and black cod boats. Calder got his first boat in 2008 and has been fishing on his own ever since. Now he fishes nearshore rockfish, Dungeness crab, salmon, halibut, and albacore.

Miles is Calder's son, and he can be found wherever his father is, from the docks of Moss Landing to fishing out at sea, and even surfing the breaks off our coast - a little waterman in training. Calder's favorite fishery is Dungeness crab because it makes him a good living. For pure enjoyment, Calder prefers nearshore rockfish because the peace and quiet and beauty down the coast where he fishes can't be beat. For eating, it's all about the king salmon for him, thrown on the grill with a special mixture of mayonnaise, capers, dill, lemon, and a few other secret ingredients on top. No flipping the fish. The joys of fishing for Calder are in the freedom and life on the ocean, and the challenges are balancing time on the water with time with his family.

Walter has been fishing his whole life. As the son of Richard Deyerle, his first footsteps, along with his brother Calder, were probably on his father's boat. Walter started commercial fishing at the age of 19 and has continued full time through thick and thin. Walter and his deckhand, Marshall, currently fish for rockfish, black cod, halibut, and Dungeness crab. Walter's favorite fish is hardheads (thornyhead, idiot fish, etc.) simply battered with italian seasoning and pan fried.

Ron Farquhar started fishing around 2002. Originally from San Francisco, a love of scuba diving brought him south to Monterey and he gradually eased his way into work as a commercial fisherman. In Ron’s case, a long “career” of personal spearfishing was his entry point. Next, he started working on charter fishing boats and then started his own business, Westwind Charter Sport Fishing & Excursions. The Westwind is a 31′ Island Hopper that calls Moss Landing its home port.

Ron now fishes commercially when salmon, halibut, albacore tuna, and white seabass are in season – generally from May to November. Throughout his work in fishing, the intimate knowledge of underwater “structure” (topography) he gained during his spearfishing and diving days has helped him to understand where to look for fish. Ron particularly enjoys fishing for white seabass and albacore since there’s so much excitement involved. The closure of the salmon seasons in 2008 and 2009 were tough, and adjusting to the rapid increase in area closures for MPAs has been difficult as well. Other challenges include occasional flooding of the market (leading to price drops) and fuel costs.

Ron tries to take advantage of fish closer to shore when possible to keep fuel costs down. Being able to sell to local buyers is a highlight of fishing for him, and he likes to know his local community is enjoying his catch. One of the most rewarding aspects of spending time on the ocean is seeing whales and dolphins, and being able to track schools of fish by watching birds feeding – it’s a way of witnessing the entire environmental cycle.

When not fishing, Ron works for the City of Monterey as a security worker for Monterey Harbor. In the course of patrolling the marina and wharf areas and checking on boats and moorings, Ron enjoys the people and hearing their stories from around the world. He also is able to keep a close eye on the types of fish being brought in by other fishermen on a daily basis. We’re glad to have started buying fish from Ron and wish him continued success!

Brian grew up playing with his cousins Walter and Calder Deyerle. As a little crew they started fishing together and getting more and more into the trade with the help of his uncles, Daniel and Richard. It wasn't until 2012 that Brian made the leap to run his own boat, a 22' Boston Whaler called the FV White Owl. Brian exclusively fishes for nearshore and deeper nearshore species, including blue rockfish, gopher rockfish, lingcod, and cabezon. He is an outdoorsman at heart and member of the Big Sur Volunteer Fire Brigade, as well as a member of the Ocean Rescue Team. As if that isn't enough, Brian also owns and operates a Poke restaurant in Carmel called Carmel Poke Co. 

Eric grew up in Santa Barbara spending most of his summers at the dock fishing off the pier, eventually working on sport and commercial fishing boats in junior high and high school. During his career in auto repair, he spent 15 years sport and competitive spearfishing and free diving. At 35 years old he decided to get back into commercial fishing to help feed his community local fish. He fishes for Black Cod, Blackgill rockfish, vermilion rockfish, lingcod, and many other species.

James was a carpenter for 15 years, his medium – concrete. He built bridges, water treatment plants, parking structures, and most proudly the Scotts Valley Middle School.

At the age of 29 James was watching Shark Week and decided he wanted to go fishing. From humble beginnings, James bought a kayak and started fishing in the Elkhorn Slough. After a few trips, he grew adventurous and pointed his bow to the Moss Landing jaws and fished his kayak in the open ocean of the Monterey Bay. Shortly after he bought an 14-foot aluminum skiff and then quickly converted an old Sea Race ski boat to fish open access fisheries like rockfish and lingcod. 

In 2019 James decided to go full-time commercial fisherman. He bought the F/V Tina May, a 25 foot Farallon, from a recently widowed woman in Fort Bragg. Her husband was a carpenter and fisherman too and was looking to hand her husbands boat on to someone that would carry the legacy. Soon thereafter James acquired salmon and crab permits, completing the transition to full-time fisherman.

James’ favorite fish to catch and eat is lingcod, prepared simply in an aluminum foil boat full of salsa and grilled on the BBQ. 

James feels good about the current health of our local waters, especially compared to those he has seen in other countries and communities not as fortunate. He is optimistic about California king salmon in 2019 and is thankful for guidance from an old friend from Little League, Dave Toriumi, captain of the F/V Grinder and another fishing partner of Real Good Fish. 

At Real Good Fish, we source wild ridgeback and spot prawns from the Channel Islands, and Jeff Hepp is one of our go-to fishermen for them. Jeff takes great care of the prawns and their environment. 

He has modified his trawl net to minimize bycatch by adding two excluder devices, one towards the bottom that is a "separator sack" with five-inch mesh to let fish out, and the other towards the top of the net that is a ten foot zipper to let fish out, so there is little or no bycatch. He has also modified the bottom of his trawl net to keep it slightly above the bottom and minimize its effect on the environment, a method known as "light touch" trawling.

Jeff lands his prawns in Santa Barbara, and once they're transferred to Real Good Fish, they're put in seawater tanks pumped with oxygen and driven north overnight. Ridgeback and spot prawns are both highly perishable, and since we don’t use any chemicals, they need to be delivered while they're as fresh from the ocean as possible. Ours will sometimes arrive still moving, and while it can be startling, the flavor and integrity of these prawns is so worth it - sweet, clean and mild, with no chemical aftertaste and no ethical compromise.

Fisherman Jeff Hepp’s favorite way to prepare ridgeback prawns, "I just boil them with a little salt and sprigs of fresh rosemary.” Check out our Recipes section for some Real Good Fish favorites!

For more on why we source local wild-caught prawns from Jeff, see our blog post "Step Away From the Shrimp Buffet!" It shines a needed light on serious problems in the shrimp industry.

Ernie Koepf has been fishing commercially for Pacific herring for over 35 years.  Ernie joined the fishery at the same time as a bunch of other novice herring fishermen. They bought a few nets, got everything all tangled up the first few days, and eventually taught themselves how to catch herring in San Francisco Bay “without killing ourselves!”

The herring season is short and sweet: “My place in the world in January and February is on San Francisco Bay on this boat. That is what defines me. You can get money anywhere. Money is cheap. Money is banal. You can’t get the experience that I get quite so easily.” Ernie attributes recent swings in the herring population – the 2008-2009 season was cancelled for the first time in history – to a lack of fresh water reaching the Bay Delta, which is critical to the survival of young herring.

Ernie would not persist in this fishery if money were the only reward. As diesel prices have soared, herring prices have fallen from over $3000 a ton in 1995 to less than $700 a ton today. This is largely due to reduced demand in Japan for kazunoko (herring roe), a delicacy given as gifts during the New Year’s season which has at times fetched prices of over $50 a pound. There were over 100 herring boats working San Francisco Bay in the late 1990s; Ernie is now one of less than 20 still fishing, and one of only 10 to be granted a permit by the California Department of Fish and Game this year to sell whole herring locally on the fresh fish market. “There’s hardly any young guys in any of the fisheries now…they’re all pushing 60, or older. The financial incentive has left, so it’s not drawing people into the fishery,” Ernie explains.

Ernie recognizes that few people realize that San Francisco Bay remains a thriving natural system: “I’ll take people who have never been out on San Francisco Bay out fishing with me…the boat will be loaded with fish and there’s sea gulls and there’s sea lions, there’s herring milt in the water, sperm in the water, and it smells…fishy. This sort of feeling overcomes everybody where now time ceases to be important, now it’s just tide, it’s just all tide and current.  And they’ll say, ‘Man, I had no idea, I had no idea all this was going on out here.’”

Ernie is working with other local fishermen to stimulate a consumer demand for herring in the Bay Area.  “I’m aware of the growing demand for organic, local, healthy food.” He hopes that herring will take its place alongside other local seafood products. “I’ve eaten it smoked, I’ve eaten it grilled, I’ve had it salted, I’ve had it pickled. It’s a good fish.”  Ernie and his boat the Ursula B. can be found in January and February plying the waters under the Bay Bridge and just yards off the Embarcadero.

Originally from the Santa Cruz mountains, Khevin began his career as a commercial fisherman off the central California coast. Khevin currently fishes Dungeness crab and black cod. Khevin is among the few proud fishermen who make a full-time living fishing commercially. From baiting thousands of hooks one by one, to icing down every fish, he does it all himself with his deckhand as a labor of pride and love. Just try a piece of their fish and you'll know why it's so good.

Fifteen years ago when Tony moved to the Monterey Bay area, he had never set foot on a fishing boat. In fact, Tony's daughter bought him his boat, the Eagle, so that he could become a fisherman and leave his 17 year job as a welder for the Navy. For 3 years, Tony taught himself how to fish, making no money, until he says he finally learned how to catch fish and be a real commercial fisherman. Since then Tony has been following the tides, fish, bait, water temperature, wind, moon, weather, and seasons with eight years of data that help him predict where and when the fish will be found - a remarkable amount of information to be tracking!

Getting a tour of the F/V Eagle, Tony shared with us his simple but formidable galley: full range camping stove, high quality old steel knives like they used to make, worn out cutting board, well seasoned pots and pans, shelves and drawers stocked with an assortment of spices, sauces, and ingredients far beyond what most of us stock in our full sized kitchens at home. I asked him what his favorite fish was and he quickly responded "I love eating all fish," and with little encouragement, we spent 30 minutes discussing his favorite recipes.

When asked his favorite thing about fishing he said he likes working hard and problem-solving, and having to know everything: taking care of the boat, understanding regulations, taking care of the fish, and knowing how to fix all the problems on the boat himself.

Tony, 55, has one daughter and four sons. When he's not busy as a father, he is fishing, year-round. Depending on the season, he fishes sablefish (black cod), grenadier, salmon, rockfish, and Dungeness crab. At the time of the interview he was outfitting his boat to fish halibut. His message for our members: "Cold water fish are the best because they have firmer, more flavorful meat. Avoid most foreign fish because you don't know how long it's been traveling, and most farmed fish is not so good because the water is not clean."

Jimmy Phillips got his fishing chops jackpoling for albacore tuna out of Crescent City, CA. Albacore put up a fight, so catching them one at a time on cane fishing poles is not an easy way to make a living. For an eighteen-year-old, though, it was a lot better than a desk job, so he worked on boats and eventually landed in Half Moon Bay.

He now runs his own boat, the Kimberly Rose, out of Half Moon Bay. He fishes for crab and salmon, and his brother crews for him. Along with the freedom of working on the ocean, he also loves the sense of adventure and the feeling of putting everything - blood, sweat and tears - into what he does for a living. His main stress is not the weather, but the rise and sharp drops of fish prices. “Fuel prices and mortgages stay the same,” he said, “even when fish prices drop.” Along with selling his catch to Real Good Fish, he also sells direct to consumers from his boat in the Pillar Point Harbor near Half Moon Bay.

Brendan grew up in Santa Cruz, fishing with his grandfather, and his mother. “My mom is a great steelhead fisher,” he said. “She really knows how to read a river.” He’s 27 years, old, and believes that it’s important that younger people take up the mantle and fish commercially, but he approaches it with the perspective that fishermen are stewards of the ocean. It’s no surprise that he’s also a biology student at UC Santa Cruz, and believes that fishermen and marine resource managers can work together to create a sustainable system. 

He started off working as a deckhand on charter boats out of San Francisco and Santa Cruz, and now deckhands for commercial crabbing and salmon boats out of Moss Landing. He runs his own skiff, Mysealium, out of Santa Cruz and works the open access fisheries like white sea bass, halibut, sand dabs, and ling cod. His favorite fish to eat is Petrale sole, noting the light texture and mild flavor. But he likes to fish for California halibut the best. “It’s a nice long drift, not too crowded with other boats,” he explained. “When the tide shifts and the bite turns on, it gets exciting.”

Wilson started fishing in 1968 with his father out of Santa Cruz. He's moved from harbor to harbor, like many fishermen on our coast, to find fish. From black cod, salmon, rockfish, and now spot prawns, Wilson is one of the fortunate fishermen in our community who fishes full time. Wilson's favorite fish to cook and eat is not surprising: spot prawns. And his favorite way to prepare them is simply marinated, with butter, garlic, white wine, and fresh herbs, then onto the grill for 2 minutes per side - nothing more - to avoid the risk of overcooking.

Scott caught his first fish at the age of 4, and from then on he was hooked. From trout and bass in the mountains to halibut off our coast, Scott found himself spending most of his free time on the water. At the age of 33 he decided to fully commit to his passion and pursue a career as a commercial fisherman. A few years later, Scott and his father, "Biggie," bought the F/V Tidepoint, named after Scott's great grandfather's tug boat harbored in Oregon.

When he's not fishing on the F/V Tidepoint, you can often find him fishing on Stan Bruno's boat. Sustainability is crucial in Scott's eyes, which is why he handles younger, smaller fish more carefully and throws them back, because he "sees his future in those fish." In that same way, he also knows how important it is to have a younger generation of fishermen to bring our community fish, which is why he gets a great deal of fulfillment seeing kids playing on the docks, just like he did as a child. Scott enjoys fishing for sand dabs, salmon, and albacore, but Dungeness crab is his favorite.

Zach's specialty is trap-caught sand dabs, which he fishes year round. When caught this way, sand dabs come in larger on average and in beautiful condition, in addition to being 100% sustainable. Zach loves what he does - all the preparation, and then the satisfaction of a boat full of sand dabs and a beautiful sunset on his way into harbor with them. 

Lorenzo Sanchez has a short trip from his home in Watsonville to the Moss Landing Harbor, where he keeps his boat, the Barbara Ann II. After a lifetime of sport fishing, and many seasons working the deck on commercial boats, he’s now running a hook-and-line operation. He’s supplying Real Good Fish with salmon, halibut, lingcod, and white seabass. For him, fishing never gets old. “Every time I catch a fish, I’m excited,” he said. The hardest part of fishing off Moss Landing is avoiding crab pots during rough weather. But it’s still worth it. As he says, “I love the thrill of the catch.” While he enjoys fishing for white seabass the most due to the fight it puts up, his favorite seafood to eat is spot prawns. Fingers crossed that he gets one of these rare permits one day!

Jeff and Emily Stackhouse are life-long agriculturalists who recently found a shared love of fishing off the Northern California coast. Both raised on sheep farms, they have built a life around farming and wilderness. Prior to working on the water, Jeff worked for the University of California as a farm advisor. In 2014, after a few years running a guided hunting operation he thought it was only natural to start a charter fishing business on his boat the FV Gorilla fishing out of Humboldt Bay and Crescent City, California.

For many food producers, COVID was a turning point. For Jeff and Emily, it was an opportunity to turn "Stackhouse Guide Service" into a commercial fishing operation. Fishing with a rod and reel they target a variety of rockfish including, canary rockfish, yellowtail rockfish, and lingcod. In the fall they target albacore tuna. 

They pride themselves on the handling and resulting quality of their catch. Starting with day trips - the fastest way to get fish from the ocean to your plate - each fish is handled one by one, and bled immediately for the most humanely and high quality filets. 

From a sustainability standpoint their ocean ethics are as high as they come while also being grounded in the reality that diversity of fishing techniques is critical for feeding our communities. As Emily put it,  "It is an honor to be a small-scale, sustainable, hook and line fisherman/fisherwoman. The world has diverse demands and needs a diverse fishing fleet to provide high-quality protein to the people, so our high-end, sustainable fishing is not affordable to all, but we would like to see the harvested product be treated with the most care and respect as possible."

When it comes to preparing their catch, Jeff loves his canary rockfish in fish tacos with the "Thai-One-On" recipe using a creamy peanut sauce from the Field to Table Cookbook. Emily loves her albacore pan seared with teriyaki/sesame blend and wasabi.

Emily did a great job summarizing the essence of this amazing fishing partnership: "It goes without saying, the North Coast is an incredibly special place on earth. Being able to fish as a husband-wife team on such pristine reefs with jaw-dropping coastal views is a wonderful treat in itself! We love and cherish our time together on the water!"

In 1975, Tom Trumper was working as a diver for oil fields in Louisiana, but pursued Judy, the woman who would become his wife, out to Southern California. He saw a help wanted ad for sea urchin divers, and after his first trip out, he never went back to the oil rigs. At that time, only 20 guys were diving and the range was limited to southern California, from San Diego to Pt. Conception. The yen was strong in Japan and overnight shipping had just become possible, so markets over there were clamoring for California sea urchin.

“California has the best uni in the world, due to our kelp situation,” Tom said. “Sea urchin will eat anything—beer cans, rocks, you name it. But the ones that eat kelp are by far the best. We only harvest from kelp beds.”

In 1999, Tom co-founded Pacific Rim Seafood in Ft. Bragg, which he now runs with his daughter, Autumn. That year, the price from Japan was soft, and so they had to cut out the middlemen. In many seafood supply chains, there can be as many as 5-7 buyers before a product makes it to the market. In order to break this chain, he needed to create a domestic market.

Tom and Judy loaded 14 trays of uni in their VW bus and drove to San Francisco. By this time, sushi bars were ubiquitous in the city, and chefs loved their uni. Tom and Judy met with customers and gave samples and talks in the restaurants. Then Tom noticed that chefs who bought on a Monday were still serving their uni on a Friday.

“Before I became a processor, it took the distributors 5 to 7 days to deliver it. By that point it gets a strong, yucky flavor. By cutting out the middlemen, we could get it out much fresher," Tom told me. So they started bi-weekly deliveries to San Francisco. “People eat our uni two days out of the water,” he said. “It’s a huge difference.”

John is a worldly fisherman who has seen his fair share of adventure! Raised in New Jersey he begain his fishing career working on a charter boat. Not long after he and his brother bought their first boat, the FV Barbara Lee and began fishing the Hudson Canyon for tilefish and working the Grand Banks for groundfish and swordfish. From their his fishing career became even more exciting chasing fish in Namibia, South Africa, Trinadad and Hawaii. Most recently John has been hanging his hat in San Diego, fishing for tuna and swordfish on the FV Pacific Horizon. All this experience and travel has given him deep respect of the health of American fisheries "The United States has the most heavily regulated fisheries in the world, unfortunately many other countries don't manage their fisheries as well - and when people buy that fish, it hurts the American fishermen that are doing the right thing"

John's favorite fish is Opah, broiled or grilled with minimal seasoning. On the boat his go-to seasoning is "Montreal Steak Seasoning".

Originally from Marina, CA, John's father introduced him to fishing at an early age. He decided to take a risk and pursue fishing professionally in 2014, when he bought his boat, Fast Eddie. John's favorite fish to catch is tuna - any type, but locally, albacore - because they are a hard fight, which he enjoys. His favorite fish to eat is white seabass prepared any way, but especially deep fried. 

Tuk caught his first rockfish with his dad when he was 8 years old. They fished together recreationally on their 15 ft. aluminum boat almost every weekend, and when Tuk turned 16, his father bought a bigger boat and they both began fishing commercially. Tuk is currently a part-time commercial fisherman who fishes three to seven days a week out of Monterey, Moss Landing, and Santa Cruz, depending on the season. His other part-time job is working as an auto mechanic, something he enjoys immensely and that allows him to pursue his hobby and passion racing cars.

Tuk loves being out on the water in the early morning and knowing that every day will be different. When asked about the challenges of commercial fishing, he mentions all the work involved with fishing beyond catching the fish: where to fish, weather, wind, currents and, ultimately, making the right decisions.

His favorite way to cook sand dabs is unusual: simply pan fry one side, then sprinkle bits of crispy bacon on the uncooked side and flip it and cook that side until done. Yum! 

It’s not surprising that fisherman Chris Zajac’s oil paintings are mostly seascapes. He’s a classic “portfolio” fisherman who goes after salmon in the summer, crab in the late fall/winter, and black cod and rockfish in between those seasons. Chris has an art degree from UC Santa Cruz, and took to fishing as a summer job right out of college, for the same reason many do: “I needed to make money,” he explained. He’s been fishing for 35 years, and has found that fishing and being an artist both come with their own challenges.

“Fishing is hardcore physical labor,” he said. “But art isn’t easy either. With classical art, you need training. And you never know if a painting will sell. They are both uncertain economically, but I have a passion for them.”

He offloads and docks his fishing vessel, Serena May, in the Santa Cruz harbor where sometimes storms block them in and the boats can’t go out and fish. This, not the hard work and uncertain prices, is hardest for him. “I love leaving the safety of land, the freedom of going out on a boat,” he said. “When I’m stuck in harbor, I feel like a caged critter.” Painting images of the Monterey Bay helps until he can get back out to sea.

His favorite local seafoods are spot prawns and king salmon. His favorite way to prepare them? “Keep it super simple,” he said. “For salmon, I put some garlic and olive on fillets, grill them, then add a little lemon and black pepper afterwards. With fresh fish, you don’t need to do much. The flavor is already so good.”