Tunaman’s Memorial

Shelter Island is home to many wonderful things: big yachts, Humphrey’s outdoor concerts in the summer, great restaurants, public boat moorings and yacht brokers, and several pieces of public art on tidelands property belonging to the Port of San Diego. One of the dramatic sculptures is called the Tunaman’s Memorial.
The Tunaman’s Memorial is a larger-​than-​life bronze sculpture by Franco Vianello, and dedicated in 1988 to the tuna fishermen who were formerly an important part of the area’s economy. San Diego was, at one time– home to Van Camp Seafood Company, Starkist Foods, Westgate California, Bumble Bee Seafood, Pan Pacific and smaller local tuna processors. The San Diego tuna industry hauled in $ 30 million per year putting it just behind the the Navy and aircraft industry as a big business contributor to the San Diego economy. But in the 1970’s, as stringent U.S. environmental regulations made it more costly to fish, the tuna boats made the change to foreign waters and the industry died.
However, the local fishing community and The Portuguese Historical Society sponsored and raised the funds for the Tunaman’s Memorial as a symbol of the courage and determination of these men of the tuna fleet. The statue represents fishermen of several ethnic backgrounds: Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Slavic-​who all were a part of this once dynamic local industry.
This past week, while tracking the Carnival Splendor coming into San Diego Bay, I was able to gaze at this great memorial marker on Shelter Island and appreciate it all over again. I like that it was placed right next to the Shelter Island kiddie park and playground-​making it a family-​friendly memorial-​as opposed to an austere and somber one. The words inscribed on the granite marker pedestal will always ring true: «Tunaman’s Memorial: Honoring those that built an industry and remembering those that departed this Harbor in the Sun and did not return. –Anthony Mascarenhas»