Ahoy there, Pete! We’re grateful to have you on this segment of our SlowFood Urban blog. Let’s start with your story. How did your adventure out at sea begin? How did it lead specifically to sea urchin?

In 1970, I left my job as a consulting civil engineer and went diving for abalones. Thinking of taking 2 years off to go diving. Never went back. Abalones were getting scarcer and there was talk of developing a brand new fishery for Red Sea urchins to be shipped to Japan. I was one of the first to start diving for sea urchins in San Diego.

Being out at sea must be exciting. Do you have a favorite or proudest memory from when you were out there? What about a moment most challenging?

I have been diving commercially in California for almost a half a century. I have made over 21,000 dives. There is not one dive that really sticks out. What I remember is that I spent all that time in such an outstanding environment; free of gravity, an always changing environment.

What I remember is that I spent all that time in such an outstanding environment; free of gravity, an always changing environment.

There’s a lot of talk about keeping our oceans and bay clean. What message do you have for San Diegeans on this topic?

Each person has to have ethics so they do the right thing without being told or given a roadmap.

It can be hard for the average family to make the switch to buying local, seasonal food - especially seafood. What sets the SD Tuna Harbor apart from buying from a grocery store?

What sets Tuna Harbor Dockside Market is that it is not a boring store. You get to enjoy the ambiance of the fishing docks, meet fishermen, learn about how fish are harvested. Buying at [Tuna Harbor Dockside Market] is a field trip, not a job.

SlowFood strives for “Good. Clean. Fair.” foods. Why are these things important to you?

As a fisherman “good clean, fair” means buying from local fishermen who harvest in a sustainable manner and provide the freshest best quality seafood .

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Visit the Tuna Harbor Dock on Saturdays from 8am until 1pm to meet the fishermen and try locally caught fish.