Records of the American Tunaboat Association (ATA), a non-profit cooperative association representing the interests of tunaboat owners and crews. The collection documents the activities of the ATA as well as the history of the tuna industry in San Diego.
American Tunaboat Association Records, 1930-1999 (SMC 49)
Restrictions: Duplication of crew lists in series 1) ADMINISTRATION and 7) VESSEL INFORMATION is
prohibited due to privacy protections. Researchers must request to view materials
in box 11, folders 1-17 in advance.
OFF-SITE STORAGE: COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE. ALLOW TWO TO THREE (2-3) WEEKS FOR RETRIEVAL OF MATERIALS.
Boxes 1-244 (SRLF); boxes 245-256 (Eckart).
Extent: 265.7 Linear feet (230 cartons, 3 archives boxes, 23 flat boxes, and 1 map case folder)
The American Tunaboat Association (ATA) was established in San Diego in 1917 as a non-profit cooperative association that advocated for tunaboat owners and crews. The members of the ATA are owners and operators of U.S. flag vessels that use various methods, including purse seine nets, to fish commercially for tuna. Representatives of the ATA are involved in matters that affect tunaboats and the fishing industry, including international negotiations and meetings on the conservation and management of tuna stocks. The ATA also believes in the importance of maintaining a strong U.S. flag tuna fleet and supporting sustainable tuna fisheries.
The ATA was involved in various social movements and legislative matters, including the "Dolphin-safe Tuna" labeling movement of the 1970s and the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. Other notable international involvements include international relations regarding tunaboat seizures by other countries, and the 200-mile jurisdiction legislation, which created borders for sovereign nations' territorial waters.
The records of the American Tunaboat Association (ATA), a non-profit cooperative association representing the interests of tunaboat owners and crews. The collection documents the activities of the ATA as well as the history of the tuna industry in San Diego. The ATA advocated on behalf of fishermen at the state, federal, and international legislative levels; dealt with industry insurance claims; and served as a public relations resource. In the process it generated a large assortment of administrative records, correspondence, legal documents and conference materials. The collection also contains voluminous files relating to legislation, court cases, international affairs, and vessel information. Subjects of note include the Marine Mammal Protection Acts and territorial waters legislation; accordingly, the bulk of the records are in series 3) FISHERMEN'S PROTECTION ACT, series 4) MARINE MAMMAL PROTECTION ACT, and series 6) INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, which cover some of the important legal activities in which the ATA was involved.
Arranged in nine series: 1) ADMINSTRATION, 2) GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE, 3) FISHERMEN'S PROTECTION ACT, 4) MARINE MAMMAL PROTECTION ACT, 5) OTHER LEGISLATION AND COURT CASES, 6) INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, 7) VESSEL INFORMATION, 8) RELATED ORGANIZATIONS AND CONFERENCES, 9) PRESS, 10) SUBJECT FILES, and 11) OVERSIZE MATERIALS.
Custodial History
The American Tunaboat Association Records were donated to the Scripps Institute of Oceanography (SIO) Archives in three separate accessions, two in 1990 and one in 2004. The 1990 accessions were donated directly by the ATA; the 2004 accession was a transfer from the San Diego History Center. The records were given the collection number AC 40 and housed, unprocessed, in remote storage. In 2015, the records were given the new collection number SMC 49 and the papers were processed by Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego Library, with both accessions merged into one collection. Duplicates, personnel information, supply receipts, and other extraneous material was removed from the collection at the time of processing.