Tuna Harbor Dockside Market celebrates its first decade

It’s easy to mistake the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market as a longstanding tradition — a legacy of San Diego’s time as Tuna Capital of the World — but it’s only been 10 years since the weekly gathering kicked off.

Why it matters: The open-air market is now a Saturday morning favorite, connecting San Diego’s restaurants and households with the local fishing industry and making fresh, sustainable seafood that much more accessible.

Driving the news: The market is celebrating its 10th anniversary Sunday with Dockside Night Market: Local Fish, Global Flavors.

• Hosted by restaurant group Puffer Malarkey Collective, it features some of the region’s best chefs showcasing their local catches.
• Proceeds benefit the San Diego Fishermen’s Working Group, which advocates for the local commercial-fishing industry.

Flashback: In 2014, a handful of fishermen sold their catch from their boats but ran headlong into regulatory roadblocks while trying to start a market on dry land.

• That changed following a Voice of San Diego story, said Peter Halmay, an 83-year-old urchin diver and president of the San Diego Fishermen’s Working Group.
• “That lit a fire under the commissioners,” he said. “Within a month, things fell into place.”

Yes, but: On the market’s first day, 1,500 shoppers showed up to be greeted by three fishermen.

• “There was demand,” Halmay said. “The next week, 10 more fishermen called and said, ‘How do we get involved?'”
• They also needed to maneuver Health Department regulations that didn’t allow them to fillet their catch on the dock, thanks to a state law carried by then-Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), whom Halmay calls “a fantastic friend of the fishermen.”

The big picture: Now, Halmay communicates with about 25 fishermen each week — out of the region’s commercial fleet of about 130 active boats on a given day — to ensure that about 70 species are available on the dock each Saturday.

• He estimates the network of fishermen now sell about 12% of the catch that lands in San Diego — half at the market, the other half directly to restaurants that have made connections through it.
• “We’ve made inroads through chefs who said, ‘Let’s give the customer something special,'” he said. “We have the best-managed fishery in the whole world.”

What’s next: Increasingly, Halmay said local fishermen are advocating for themselves on climate grounds.

• “It’s not sustainable for the planet to buy fish from 2,000 miles away,” he said. “Why get Chilean sea bass when you can get local white sea bass that is a hell of a lot better?”

San Diego’s top chefs showcasing the local catch

Aidan Owens, executive chef at Herb & Sea in Encinitas, sourced seafood from a couple of local fishermen before others at Tuna Harbor started recognizing him.

State of play: Now, he’s got a stable of about 13 with whom he communicates — hearing if storms are going to impact anyone’s catch, for instance — to buy about 2,000 pounds of local fish each week between Herb & Sea and sister restaurant Herb & Wood.

What he’s saying: “Simple isn’t easy,” Owens said. “Putting simple ingredients on a plate and having diners enjoy it comes down to how good the simple ingredients are,” he said.

• “Instead of having to do crazy stuff, we can showcase the fish — with a beautiful sauce, salt and pepper, and wood fire, which is delicious on fish.”

The latest: Owens works for the Puffer Malarkey group, hosting Tuna Harbor’s 10th anniversary celebration and helping put together the event that will bring 17 celebrated chefs together to make fine dishes from local fish and produce, with live music on San Diego Bay.

• That includes Tara Monsod, San Diego’s first James Beard Award finalist; Michelin-star chef Roberto Alcocer from Valle; and more.
• Tickets are $108; the event is 6-10pm Sunday.

Between the lines: Halmay says probably 40-50 local restaurants are truly committed to highlighting San Diego’s catch, and he credits them for embracing the dockside market and helping it grow.

• Ironside Fish & Oyster Bar, he said, was an early champion, down to printing the fishermen’s name on the menu as they would with a farm that grew produce.
• He also cites Juniper and Ivy for retraining its staff to process urchin themselves, taking a chance that made it easier for them to offer a superior product.