2. Location, History and Economy
Santa Barbara, 95 miles northwest of Los Angeles in Santa Barbara County, is on the Santa Barbara Channel. It encompasses approximately 19 square miles of land. Santa Barbara occupies the ancestral homelands of the Chumash people. The Chumash Indians were one of the earliest peoples to inhabit the greater Los Angeles area. At one time, Chumash territory encompassed 7,000 square miles along the coast between the current cities of Malibu and Paso Robles, and on the Northern Channel Islands. The community were historically boat-makers and relied heavily on a maritime economy (e.g., gathering and fishing). They innovated the plank canoe, the “tomol,” and barbed harpoons and shell hooks which allowed them to harvest a more expansive array of fish species. The Chumash population is estimated to have been 22,000 pre-Spanish colonization. After more than two centuries of genocide and colonization, the current population of Chumash is estimated to be around 5,000. Today several Chumash tribes live in the region, including the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, and the Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians (Source).
Spanish missionaries colonized Southern California in the late 18th century. In the 1780s missionaries settled the Mission and El Presidio in Santa Barbara. The Spanish maintained control of the area until 1822 when Mexico separated from Spain and laid claim to the region. In the 1820s the missions were secularized, however, Franciscan friars were allowed to stay and maintain the Santa Barbara Mission, and it became a central locale for Franciscans in California (Source). Mexico eventually ceded the area to the United States in 1848 (Source) at the end of the Mexican American War. Santa Barbara was incorporated in April 1850. Soon after the Gold Rush brought thousands of settlers to the newly formed state of California.
From 1830 to 1865 ranching and agriculture became important livelihoods. Stearns Wharf was built in 1872 by John Peck Stearns and is the oldest working wharf in California. The new wharf enabled the expansion of agriculture through shipping and brought building materials for new development. It also provided an access point for visitors; however, it was not until the turn of the century with the completion of a rail line to Los Angeles and San Francisco that Santa Barbara became a major visitor and resort destination (Source). In the early 1900s, before Hollywood was established, Santa Barbara was also home to a burgeoning California film industry. In 1925 a magnitude 6.3 earthquake destroyed many buildings in downtown Santa Barbara. Many of the buildings that survived the quake were in the Spanish Colonial style. In the aftermath of the earthquake, a community interest developed around preserving a uniform architectural style that mimicked the Spanish Colonial period. This led to a strict building code for downtown Santa Barbara and the first architectural review board in the US. Today the resulting aesthetic continues to be a high point for tourists to the city. In 1930s, U.S. Highway 101 was extended, connecting Santa Barbara to the coastal highway (Source).
Santa Barbara Harbor was completed in 1929, thanks to the efforts of Major Max Fleishmann, a veteran from WWI. Fleishman moved to Santa Barbara in the 1920s, but the city’s waterfront lacked any storm shelter and he could not find safe harborage for his 218-foot yacht. Fleischmann offered the city a deal in which he would pay $250,000 to build a breakwater (although accounts say this number ended up closer to $450,000) on the condition that he could moor his yacht in the harbor on completion. The city agreed and matched his contribution. The US Navy took control of the harbor in the late 1930s through WWII. Many of the current harbor buildings were originally added by the Navy (Source).
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 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. 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 developed a domestic sea urchin market which helped to buffer these impacts (Source). Historically, Santa Barbara has been the leading port for the red sea urchin fishery (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 (Source). In 1994, the state issued a moratorium on new 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. Landings have been somewhat erratic but have generally increased since the early 1990s. Ex-vessel value has been steadily increasing over that same period. landings are generally evenly divided between three regions, Santa Barbara/Ventura Counties, Los Angeles/Orange Counties, and San Diego County (Source).
