2. Location, History and Economy

Dana Point is a seaside community in southern Orange County, approximately 65 miles north of San Diego and 59 miles south of Los Angeles. It covers 6.64 square miles of land. The city’s motto is “Harboring the Good Life” (Source). As of 2018, the population of Dana Point was 33,900. The city, known for tourism and beaches, is home to Doheny State Beach, one of the state’s most popular state beaches, and the area around the city is characterized by rolling hills and prominent coastal bluffs. Dana Point State Marine Conservation Area is located in the waters adjacent to Doheny State Beach. Dana Point occupies the ancestral homeland of the Acjachemen and Kizh Nations. After more than two centuries of colonization, the current population of Acjachemen and Kizh Nations sits at about 1,900 and 3,000 citizens respectively (Source).

Dana Point is in a region of southern California that was first colonized by Spanish Catholic missionaries and soldiers in 1769. Don Gaspár de Portolá led the first overland Spanish colonizing expedition through the Santa Ana Valley in what is now Orange County. In 1776 Spanish priest Father Junipero Serra founded Mission San Juan Capistrano (named after St. John of Capistrano, Italy) midway between San Diego and San Gabriel (near Los Angeles). Although the mission was 5 miles inland from present-day Dana Point, this entire area of southern California was originally known as Capistrano Bay. Dana Point was eventually renamed for mariner Richard Henry Dana Jr. who, in his journal published in the mid-1800s (Source) described the area as “the most romantic spot on the California coast.”

In 1821, Mexico separated from Spain and laid claim to the region. Cattle ranching became the dominant industry through a patchwork of ranchos—Mexican landholdings of up to 44,000– dotted the landscape and bartered hides and tallow with foreign traders. Mexico ceded the area to the United States in 1848. Soon after the Gold Rush brought thousands of settlers to the newly formed state of California. Ranchos sold beef to miners and the cattle economy continued to boom for some time. In the mid to late 19th century, drought, disease and ownership battles brought about a transfer of landholdings from Mexican to American owners. With changes in land ownership, and advances in irrigation technology, the region’s economy shifted from cattle to crops such as wine grapes, grains, and apricots. Agriculture was the backbone of the region’s economy until the 1950s, although in the 1920s citrus became the most important agricultural commodity (Source).

With the completion of the Coast Highway in 1926, Dana Point experienced new population and economic growth. World War II brought military bases to Orange County, and after the war, many veterans decided to settle in the area. As the population increased in the 1950s, the county lost agricultural land to housing and annexation by new cities. With growing towns and road infrastructure, tourism began to dominate the Orange County economy, especially with the opening of Disneyland in 1955 (Source). The city of Dana Point grew through this time, eventually incorporating in 1989.

Just south of town, the Capistrano Beach Pier became a fishing landmark. Built in 1929 the large pier accommodated shore fishers as well as fishing boats. By the early 1950s, fishers made record landings at the pier for southern California, especially with species such as barracuda and abalone. The pier fell into disrepair in the early 1960s from severe wave impacts that left damage that was cost-prohibitive to repair. The pier was eventually torn down in 1965 (Source). A few years later construction began on Dana Point Harbor, which was officially dedicated in 1971.

In 1971, the red sea urchin fishery began in southern California as part of a National Marine Fisheries Service program to develop new fisheries. There was concern about sea urchins’ impact on kelp forests, and harvest was intended to help control the population. The fishery expanded rapidly as a lucrative export market to Japan, and by the late 1980s state-wide landings averaged 23.5 million pounds per year (Source). The early fishery was unregulated, and soon 75% of California’s sea urchin population was depleted (Source). The industry initiated a moratorium in 1987 and regulations were put in place to reduce fishing effort and protect the stock. In 2000 the Japanese economic bubble burst negatively impacting the fishery, however, the processing sector had developed a domestic sea urchin market which helped to buffer these impacts (Source).

The California spiny lobster fishery started in the late 1800s in Santa Barbara County and is predominately fished in the Southern California Bight. The fishery peaked in the 1950s, but then went into decline in the 1970s. Since 1975, San Diego has dominated the commercial fishery, although the species has been important to Dana Point’s commercial and recreational fisheries (Source). In 1994, the state issued a moratorium on new commercial permits and in 1996 it became a limited entry fishery. The fishery is primarily an export market to China, and the average landing price has consistently increased since the early 1990s (Source).

The spot prawn fishery was first established in the 1930s in Monterey when prawns were caught incidentally by octopus fishers. In the mid-1970s commercial fishers began trawling for prawns, and in 1979 that it was regulated as a separate fishery from other California shrimp. It was primarily fished by bottom trawlers. Landings peaked in 1981 but soon declined leading to two temporary closures. In the 1980s trap fishing was used to supplement landings during trawl closures and gave spot prawn fishers access to the live markets. By the mid-1990s, both the trawl and trap fisheries were regulated through seasonal closures and gear restrictions. Due to concerns over the impact on other species, spot prawn trawl was prohibited by the California Fish and Game Commission in 2003 (Source). This brought about both a decrease in landings and an increase in value (Source). The fishery has grown in Dana Point in the 21st century, particularly as other fisheries such as red sea urchins have waned.