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When Abalone Ruled the World: How Monterey, and small group of Japanese fishermen were once the Center of the Universe.
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Japanese abalone fishermen began commercially harvesting abalone, primarily for markets in Japan. Those first divers, arriving in the mid-1890s, were known as ama and dove into the cold waters of Monterey Bay in nothing but thin cotton outfits, and a pair of goggles. Because there is about a 15-degree colder water temperature difference between Monterey Bay and Japan, this proved to be challenging! In less than a year of arriving, they began to import helmet technology with heavy canvas suits and brass helmets.
In the spring of 1908, A German restaurateur named, “Pop” Ernest Doelter created the abalone steak in his Monterey restaurant. This invention transformed something once described as “like eating a rubber boot” into an international epicurean delight and creating a whole new market.
In 1916, over 600, 000 pounds of red abalone were unloaded at the Monterey Wharf. By 1929, the California abalone industry was generating close to a million dollars in revenue, of which 75 percent came out of Monterey Bay. Monterey had become the true abalone capitol of the world.
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