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Andre Nakaso, Berkeley High School Class of ’74
Memories of Berkeley marina in the 60’s
We grew up with not a lot of money and for fun would ride our bikes to the pier along Frontage Road to go out and fish. For bait, we’d scrub mussels off the pilings on the pier. One time, a guy showed us how to create a chum by just scrapping off mussels and letting them loose in water to attract fish. We’d even collect sand crabs near Golden Gate Fields for bait. We’d dig for pileworms, too.
We rubbed candle wax on pieces of a cardboard box that we cut in strips and rolled up and put in a coffee can. Even with the strong winds on the pier, the cardboard would stay lit and provide a little heat.
Another time, the kitchen staff from Solomon Grundy’s - it's now Skates - restaurant were taking a break on the side while we were there, and they gave us shrimp from the restaurant to use as bait (or eat?!). They weren’t supposed to do that, but we were just kids, and they were helping us out. There was a community of folks who would frequent the pier. One fisherman, named Shig Akagi, was always out there and people called him the “Mayor of the Berkeley Pier”.
---- communicated by phone and used with permission, August 5, 2024
Ken Turman, Berkeley High School Class of ’73
Fishing in Berkeley for Ken Turman had a much different impact than many others in that it prompted a lifetime of environmental awareness through the food we eat. Growing up, Ken visited the pier on organized trips with the Cub Scouts and later with friends.
“My experience only boils down to an observation that I had at the pier as a kid. I recall fishing once with a drop line and didn't catch anything. I believe that I may have tagged along with friends one or two more times without fishing. My big life observation at the pier was to see someone killing a fish on the pier, in my opinion in an excessively violent manner. I recall thinking at the time how little regard we (including myself) have for fish as living beings compared to land animals, which at the time, I did not know that we killed just as brutally in factory farms and while hunting. That was my introduction to speciesism - the practice of treating members of one species as morally more important than members of other species, and also the belief that this practice is justified.”
Ken went on with his life, tucking this memory away, until about 12 years ago. He had always been interested in health and nutrition. When he retired, he decided to cut out red meat, then fish, and then switched to a 100% plant-based diet. Ninety percent of the food he eats is whole, organic, and minimally processed. He continued to learn more about the impact of our food habits on animals. It really hit him when he came across a Venn diagram image about making life decisions, including food choices, that focused on three criteria: Is it good for you? Is it good for others? Is it good for the environment?
---- communicated by phone and Facebook. Used with permission, December 2024
Image credit: U.S. Geological Service One Health Conceptual Diagram, https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/one-health-conceptual-diagram
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