Eight decades have passed since Japanese fisher immigrants, who were instrumental in shaping Los Angeles' canning industry, were evacuated from the Port of Los Angeles during WWII. Originally aimed at uncovering remnants of this history in San Pedro in 2022, “Fishing for the Stories Left” evolved into a documentation of the neighborhood's contemporary fishing community. Portraits of fishers and boat staff, alongside industrial landscapes and wildlife, highlight the coexistence of humans, machines, and animals with the ocean. The project explores the community’s perspectives amid rising marine pollution and reflects on the parallels between devastated habitats and erased human histories.
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.
Fishing lines foreground the Los Angeles landscape as fishers await their catches along Cabrillo Pier in May 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.
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.
