Fishermen are said to fish till its all gone. This is exactly happening in San Mateo County where the fishermen in the coastal areas are struggling due to dwindling fishing industry. In Pillar Point Harbor, where a once-thriving fishing community has dwindled to an aging group of only the most devoted fishermen — and many of those are relying on savings to sustain till the next good year.
Fisherman like Harbor Master Dan Temko explained that a few decades ago the Pillar Point Harbor teemed with fishermen who tied their boats to rafts because the berths at the harbor were all full. Captains looking for crews had their pick of young people eager to stake out territory in the lucrative seaside industry.
Fisherman Roger Salisbury entered the business in the 1970s fresh out of school, working as a deckhand and sleeping in his car until he saved up enough to buy a boat and equipment. Temko informed that with a handful of exceptions, there are few young people coming into the fishing industry at Pillar Point, and more people, of all ages, leaving the business.
Longtime fisherman Don Pemberton said he doesn’t blame them, adding that he would not try to convince a young person to go into fishing as a living. He said there is a loss that comes when young people no longer turn to fishing as a vocation. He stopped short of saying the fishing community on San Mateo’s coast is dying, but said it’s definitely changing.
