Fisherman's Wharf

Unfinished History

Fishermen's Wharf c. 1900

Photo: J.B. Monaco

Fisherman's Wharf is one of San Francisco's most famous sites, a must-visit for most tourists in the 21st century. In fact, San Francisco was home to a large fishing fleet from its mid-19th century beginnings all the way to the late 20th century. Great efforts were made in the 1960s and '70s to save the working part of Fisherman's Wharf from being completely overrun by ticky-tack tourist shops and hotels, even while the Port of San Francisco sought to facilitate the development of tourism as a way to offset the loss of shipping after the 1960s.

Today's Pier 45 state-of-the-art fish processing facilities are partly thanks to funding that followed damages during the 1989 earthquake, but are also thanks to the diligence of Port and City officials who remained committed to saving the historic working fish industry on the northern waterfront. Herring, salmon, crab, and sports fishing are the primary businesses of the remaining fishing fleet, though traditional Italian family names like Alioto and Sabella still dominate the area's old restaurants and shops.