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Junipero Serra "Finds" Monterey
Serra announces it as the "current" site of the city. He wanted Monterey to be the headquarters for his string of Catholic Missions. The Ohlone Natives were docile. Thus began the "conversion" of their culture. -
La Perouse of France
Perouse saw and described a failing colony at Monterey, but recognized the bounty and value within the ocean. His focus became commerce of sea otter trade, and other poachers followed suit. This altered the ecology of the entire coast for centuries. -
The Decline of Otter Hunting
Due to the decline of otters, laws were passed restricting otter hunting. Even Russia abandoned Fort Ross, a key location for the hunting of otters. In the upcoming decade, the commercial otter enterprise dilapidated. The lack of otters in the kelp forest created a cascade of ecological effects that changed the coast for more than a century. -
Political Changes
When the Spanish Empire fell, Mexico won it's independence and in 1822 Monterey claimed loyalty to Mexico. In 1848, California left the Mexican Republic and was incorporated into the United States. -
New Sources of Fishing
A small Chinese fishing camp set up on the Monterey shore. The discovery of a huge source of the natural wealth, such as abalone, along the coasts led to new industry. -
Whaling Increases
Captain John Pope Davenport built California's first shore based whaling station. He launched a crew of twelve men into Monterey Bay, the first to go whaling from shore in California -
Railroad Creates Economic Boom
The Monterey and Salinas Valley Railroad linked Monterey to the in land farming towns of Salinas. The Big Four of the Southern Pacific bought large ranches in Monterey and on the Peninsula creating a wide economic boom. -
Hopkins Seaside Station Estalished
Hopkins Seaside Station in Pacific Grove was established by David Starr Jordan. It was the first marine biological laboratory on the West Coast. It was pivotal in environmental education and development. -
Julia Platt
Julia Platt arrived in Pacific Grove hoping to be employed at Hopkins Laboratory to do biological research. She had obtained her zoological PHD in Germany. She became a civic leader, an agent of change, and was elected to be the mayor in 1931. She was an advocate for ecological and environmental matters. -
First Fish Cannery
H.R. Robbins opens the first fish cannery between Point Alones (the site of the future Hovden Cannery and later the Monterey Bay Aquarium) and the commercial wharf in Monterey -
World War 1
The cannery market grew in the first World War due to army rations, sparking new business in Monterey. This helped canning become the main Monterey's primary industry -
Knut Hovden
A Monterey cannery pioneer, Hovden had adopted the practice of fish reduction, which used every part of a fish to gain profit in many different economic fields. Reduction was much more profitable than canning, something that didn't sit well with the entire cannery industry. -
New Regulations on the Canneries
The prosperity of the sardine business came with a price. The state of California established its first Department of Commercial Fisheries to evaluate fisheries' effects on sardine abundance. This may have been the first public action against the potential danger of the sardine fishing industry. -
Sardine Numbers Increase
Even though scientists and officials were worried about the damage of fisheries on Monterey Bay, sardine fishing continued and prospered. This was because of a large fluctuation of sardines apparent in the bay. -
Regulation Loopholes
States regulations gave way to federal regulations three miles off the coast of Monterey. Because federal regulations were very relaxed on fishing, canneries operated off shore to avoid strict California fishing laws. -
Del Monte Properties
Del Monte Properties filed a court order against Monterey canneries for their odors and for the decay in and around the plants. -
New Ideas On Ecology Hurt the Sardine Industry
The philosophy accumulated by Ed Ricketts, Joe Campbell, and John Steinbeck made people aware of the ecological injustices within the cannery industry. This led to the folding of many sardine companies. -
Marine Mammal Protection Act
In 1972, the Marine Mammal Protection Act included the protection of the harbor's seals, dolphins, whales, and sea lions. Sea otters returned to the area, which assisted in restoring the kelp. -
Monterey Bay Aquarium Is Established
The Monterey Bay Aquarium opened, and was meant to entertain, educate, and bring the marine life and ocean habitats of the bay to the people. It became the vehicle to promote tourism as the new industry of Monterey, and Cannery Row was reborn. -
New Marine Protection Laws
The California Coastal Commissions and Fish and Game Commission create a new set of marine protected areas. Protected areas represent a balance between commercialism and environmentalism.
