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San Diego Tuna Capital History

Part of Fishing in San Diego, our guide to fishing, long-range sportfishing and whale watching in San Diego.

The Port of San Diego says the tuna industry began here in 1909 with the first cannery, and that the city was once called the Tuna Capital of the World. In the 1960s tuna was the third-largest local industry, with nearly 40,000 workers. Boats still leave from the Tuna Harbor Basin.Checked October 23, 2026.

1909first cannery
3rdlargest industry, 1960s
~40,000workers, 1960s
Todayfleet works the Western Pacific
Tuna and other fish laid out in rows on a Point Loma dock while people sort them, with orange cones between the rows
A recent catch laid out on the dock at Point Loma for sorting before processing.
SourcePort of San Diego: commercial fishing
MuseumMaritime Museum of San Diego, 1492 N Harbor Dr, San Diego, CA 92101 (hours and admission not stated on the page we read)

What The Port Says

According to the Port of San Diego, the tuna industry began in 1909 with the first cannery, and the city was once called the “Tuna Capital of the World.” In the 1960s tuna was the third-largest industry in San Diego, employing nearly 40,000 workers. Today’s tuna fleet works mainly in the Western Pacific, and boats still leave from the Tuna Harbor Basin.

Point Loma and The Tuna Fleet

A search-engine excerpt from the San Diego History Center’s TUNA! exhibition says Portuguese families in Point Loma were central to tuna fishing and that about 95% of U.S. canned tuna was packed in San Diego in 1940. We could not open that page (it returned an access error), so treat both statements as unconfirmed until you read the exhibition page yourself.

See It Today

The Maritime Museum of San Diego sits on the Embarcadero. We found no tuna history text on its site. Today’s long-range sportfishing boats leave from the Point Loma landings; see the long-range overview.

What We Could Not Verify

  • The Portuguese-families-in-Point-Loma claim and the 95% of canned tuna in 1940 figure come only from a search-engine excerpt of the San Diego History Center page, which we could not open. Not confirmed.
  • The history of the Point Loma sportfishing landings themselves is not confirmed.
  • Maritime Museum hours, admission and any tuna exhibit are not confirmed.
  • The National Park Service has no sportfishing or tuna history page that we found.

More in Fishing in San Diego

FAQ

When did San Diego's tuna industry begin?

The Port of San Diego says 1909, with the first cannery.

Is there still a tuna fleet in San Diego?

The Port says today’s tuna fleet works mainly in the Western Pacific, and boats still leave from the Tuna Harbor Basin.

Sources

  1. Port of San Diego: commercial fishing
  2. San Diego History Center: TUNA!
  3. Maritime Museum of San Diego

Checked October 23, 2026 by It’s San Diego. Cite this page: It’s San Diego (itssandiego.com), checked October 23, 2026. Free to quote with a link to this page; tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.