The photo book "Fishing for the Stories Left" captures the contemporary fishing community near the Port of Los Angeles in 2022, nearly eight decades after the forced displacement of Japanese fisher immigrants in the 1940s. Portraits of fishers and boat staff, alongside industrial landscapes of San Pedro and its wildlife, depict the coexistence of humans, machines, and animals with the oceans. The project sheds light on the community’s perspectives amid rising marine pollution and reflects on the parallel between devastated habitats and erased human history.
Fisher Frank Jose sits on the cliff along the Cabrillo Beach Jetty, gazing at the LA Harbor as he waits for a bite in May 2022. Gaining a catch was guaranteed here 10 years ago, yet getting one to two fish would be lucky nowadays, Jose said.
A sea lion rests on the dock of Fish Harbor in front of an Al Larson Boat Shop facility in San Pedro in April 2022.
A glove floats next to a kelp in the water of Cabrillo Beach in May 2022.
A seabird at the shore of Cabrillo Beach picks up a toy shark in April 2022.
Fishing lines foreground the LA landscape as fishers wait for catches alongside Cabrillo Pier in May 2022.
A foldable chair was set up by Mike Berge, a fisher of 30 years, between fishing rods and a utility cart on the Cabrillo Pier in May 2022.
