Monterey in Monterey County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Fish Hoppers

Historic Cannery Row

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, April 23, 2012

1. Fish Hoppers Marker

[Photograph caption:] Photograph courtesy of Monterey History & Art Association

Inscription. In 1927 cannery owner and fishing industry innovator Knut Hovden introduced new technologies to increase the catch and expedite the transfer of fish to the production line. By bringing purse seiner fishing boats (named for the type of nets they used into Monterey Bay, Hovden greatly expanded the volume of fish harvested.

The archaic bucket-and-cable transfer method could not accommodate the larger catches, so Hovden devised a system of floating wooden hoppers. The hoppers were anchored to the seabed and connected to the canneries by underwater steel pipes. Marine pumps literally sucked the sardines into the canneries for processing or storage in concrete holding tanks through the opening in the deck.

The hoppers were built at the Monterey Boat Works and placed about 500 feet offshore from their respective canneries. They were marked and numbered for ease of recognition. A deckload of fish from Frank Manaka’s Western Explorer is seen here making the transfer. Monterey’s Japanese community made up about 20 percent of the local fishing fleet.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1927.

Location. 36° 37.018′ N, 121° 54.01′ W. Marker is in Monterey, California, in Monterey County. It can be reached from Cannery

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Row. This marker located on the bayfront promenade to the right of the Clement Monterey hotel, 750 Cannery Row. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 750 Cannery Row, Monterey CA 93940, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Central Coast

and specifically on the Coast Ranges.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Silver Harvest (here, next to this marker); Giant Kelp Beyond the Breakers (here, next to this marker); Fiction (within shouting distance of this marker); The Del Mar Canning Company, 1927-1947 (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Science (about 300 feet away); Ed Ricketts’s Backyard (about 300 feet away); The Cannery Row Monument (about 300 feet away); One Man, Two Worlds (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Monterey.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, April 23, 2012

2. Fish Hoppers Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on May 8, 2012, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 1,377 times since then and 60 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 8, 2012, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.