2. Location, History and Economy

Ventura is a community on the southern coast of California between the Ventura and Santa Clara river valleys. The community is part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, however, it is in Ventura County. The community encompasses 21.07 square miles and sits 68 miles north of Los Angeles and 27 miles south of Santa Barbara. Ventura overlooks Anacapa and Santa Cruz islands.

Ventura 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. The community was historically boat-makers that relied heavily on a maritime economy (e.g., gathering and fishing). The Chumash population is estimated to have been 22,000 pre-Spanish colonization. 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).

Missionaries colonized Southern California in the late 1700s. The San Buenaventura Mission was founded by a Spanish Missionary, Father Junipero Serra, in 1782 (Source). The mission period was followed by Mexican rule. In 1821, Mexico separated from Spain and laid claim to the region. Cattle ranching became the dominant industry through a patchwork of ranchos that dotted the landscape. Mexico ceded the area to the United States in 1848. The area underwent a demographic transition as Euro-Americans migrated from the East Coast, increasing dramatically at the end of the Civil War in 1865. The City of San Buenaventura (Ventura’s original name) was incorporated in 1866 and it soon became the county seat.

In 1873, development brought the city’s first wharf (Source). The wharf was an important commercial hub for shipping agricultural products, livestock, and oil and for importing building materials such as bricks and lumber. It later became a valued local fishing location, especially for sharks and halibut. The pier still stands today as an important local fishing site and tourist attraction (Source).

Ventura’s first oil field was drilled in 1914 and produced up to 90,000 barrels a day. This led to rapid economic growth and development in the area (Source). Agriculture also began evolving in the early 20th century. Because of the city’s location between two river valleys, the soils are rich and provide one of the best growing regions for citrus in the state. The world-renown Sunkist organization was founded by local growers in the twentieth century (Source) and in 1922, Sunkist built two lemon-packing plants in the area. However, its geography also meant that Ventura was mostly isolated, relying on the railway for commerce, until the completion of the Ventura Freeway from Los Angeles to Ventura in 1969. The topography surrounding Ventura—mountains to the east and coastline to the south and west— made travel by auto slow and hazardous.

Before the development of Ventura Harbor, shipping occurred at neighboring Port Hueneme. Port Hueneme was confiscated by the US government as a naval base during WWII, evicting more than 300 vessels. The area was in desperate need of a port and the Army Corps of Engineers began surveying for a new site where the US government would fund construction. The Army Corps rejected the site proposed for Ventura Harbor due to concerns about the threat of erosion and flooding from the Santa Clara River. The City of Ventura decided to build the harbor on the proposed site anyway, and Ventura Harbor was eventually completed in 1963. However, soon after boaters raised concerns about the harbor’s entrance and Richard Parsons, then manager of the Ventura Port Harbor District, is quoted as calling it the most dangerous harbor entrance in California (Source). After issues with flooding and erosion and several lawsuits, the harbor underwent a major reengineering project.

The Ventura Harbor was built to support the area’s emerging squid fishery. Eventually, the market squid fishery grew to become California’s largest commercial fishery by volume in 1993 and by 1996 it was the most valuable fishery in the state. In 1998, the Legislature created regulations for the fishery including a moratorium on new permits and required permits for squid light boats (Source). Market squid remains the port’s most important fishery today, however, the industry has shifted over time. The fishery is now dominated by larger companies, and while previously light boats were independent contractors, they are often now owned by the larger companies that own squid vessels (Source: Personal interview, harbormaster ).

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 and ex-vessel value has steadily increased since the early 1990s. Landings are mostly divided between three regions, Santa Barbara/Ventura counties, Los Angeles/Orange Counties, and San Diego County (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 Ventura in the 21st century, particularly as other fisheries such as groundfish have waned.