China Camp, the story of, part 1 of 2

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photo by Donald Kinney

[text taken from the California State Parks story-boards at China Camp Museum]

WELCOME TO CHINA CAMP

San Francisco Bay once held abundant seafood resources, especially grass shrimp. In the 1880's, Point San Pedro became a fishing village, home to nearly 500 residents from the seaside province of Kwantung, China. For years, Chinese shrimp fishing activity made a valuable contribution to California's economy. Today, only it's remnants tell the story of China Camp.



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photo by Donald Kinney

CAMP

No one could doubt this was a shrimp fishing camp. The blankets of drying shrimp glistened in the sun while a strong, fishy smell carried over the surrounding areas. Wooden piers stretched across muddy shallows to reach fishing boats in deeper water, and roughly built houses and sheds crowded the shore.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

RHYTHMS

The rhythms of fishing dominated China Camp. Day or night, the camp sprang to life when a boat pulled in to unload its catch. During the fishing season, camp workers processed shrimp and fish, mended nets, and maintained the boats. Activity nearly ceased in winter, when fishing was poor and wet weather hampered shrimp drying. Workers moved on, found other employment, visited San Francisco, or waited in camp for the next season to begin.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

EXCLUSION

In the late 1800s, growing competition for the bay's seafood resources led to the state's first efforts at fisheries regulation. The State Fish Commission, susceptible to anti-Chinese sentiments of the era, and to political pressure from competing fishermen, asserted that the Chinese bag nets caught too many small fish and disrupted the bay's food chain.

The commission pushed for the passage of devistating restrictions:

- 1901: closed season during the best fishing months.
- 1905: export of dried shrimp banned.
- 1911 use of the stationary bag net prohibited.

The peak era of the Chinese shrimp fisherman came to a close.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

Stop back tomorrow for five more photos of China Camp.

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