Histories of the Monterey Waterfront, Lecture 1

Enjoy lunch or dinner on Old Fisherman's Wharf before or after this fascinating presentation!

• A is for Abalone: The Japanese on the Monterey Wharf, 1900-1941
• The Sicilian Experience and Fisherman’s Wharf

Sunday February 1 @ 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Tickets

Monterey History and Art Association is hosting a history lecture series this winter in the Stanton Center Theater on Custom House Plaza.  The series, Histories of the Monterey Waterfront, explores some of the histories of this unique place.  We are fortunate that some of our region’s top presenters have agreed to participate in this series.

Tim Thomas
A is for Abalone: The Japanese on the Monterey Wharf, 1900-1941

This presentation tells the remarkable history of how a group of pioneering Japanese fishermen, along with a German Chef named “Pop” Ernest Doelter, transformed a once thought uneatable mollusk into a gastronomical delight and making Monterey the Abalone Capitol of the World.

Tim Thomas is a fisheries historian and author who has researched the fisheries and cultural history of Monterey for over forty years. For sixteen years he was the Historian/Curator for the Monterey Maritime Museum.  He is on the board of directors of the Monterey Japanese American Citizens League and Curator of Japanese American Heritage Center. Tim has traveled and lectured extensively on the Monterey Japanese community both in the United States and in Japan. In 2023, The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary awarded Tim the Ed Ricketts Memorial Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Field of Historical Ecology.

Bob Enea
The Sicilian Experience and Fisherman’s Wharf

This presentation focuses on the history of the Monterey sardine fishing industry through photos and descriptions that made Monterey the Sardine Capital of the World.  Bob’s grandfather, Orazio Enea, and great uncle, Pietro Ferrante, were the pioneer fishermen of the sardine industry.

Bob Enea is a retired Physical Education teacher and football and swimming coach. He is a member of the Italian Heritage Society, where he serves as historian.  Bob has authored many articles for the Santa Rosalia Festival magazine. He is currently serving as assistant swimming coach at Hartnell College.  Previously, Bob served as the National Swimming Coach of the Saudi Arabian team, 1976-1977; during the Montreal Olympics and the Pan-Arabian Games in Damascus, Syria.

After the session, attendees can go on a quick, optional, targeted tour of the museum, where items discussed in that day’s presentations will be highlighted. 

MHAA Members Free – Members must complete the form below to ensure a seat!
Non-members $10 – Includes museum admission from 3 to 4pm on the day of the session.

MHAA members, enter the Member Code for the event to get the member discount. If you are a member and you did not receive a code, please email us.