Fishing for the Stories Left

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8:00 AM ﹘ 11:45 AM , MAY 7TH FIELDWORK 3 CABRILLO PIER

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THE AFTER Initially aiming to source human narratives and oral history, the gatekeeping of the ocean emerges as a theme through the countless no trespassing signs, the high barbed wire, the vast artificial ports, the piling cargo boxes, and the long detour around the beach that serves its surrounding private properties; The pattern, visually and conceptually, writes itself into the core of this project. The questions of “Who does the ocean belong to?” and “Is this what the ocean want?” which were broadly raised in class repeated in my head as I glance at the ocean through countless manufactured structures. I see an epitome of Terminal Island’s history, the way that the Japanese fishing village was razed in the mid-1940s when Shannon explained to me how drag nets destroy fish’s homes. Fishers take resources from marine life similar to how islanders in San Pedro gain knowledge from the Japanese villagers, yet how the fish’s habitat can be blindly eradicated by people who don’t catch selectively mirrors how the fishing village was forcibly demolished. I realize that the abuse of power over certain communities and demographics can be observed as well in the exploitation of the ecosystem. The way we treat nature mirrors closely how we look after each other. Conversing with people on the dock, in their boats, and along the pier, I stand where I can see so clearly how nature and people live as a whole. In his article the trouble with wilderness, author William Cronon points out the danger of imagining the wilderness as remote, a narrative used, in his opinion, to justify the arbitrary manipulation of our living environment by separating humans from nature. The plants attach to the bottom of the boats, the species grow on abandoned objects, and the seabirds picking up litter remind me of not only how humans connect inextricably to others in the ecosystem, but how we share spaces, and how we must not act apathetically as if there are no consequences. Lastly, I would like to address the limitations of my project’s scope. Simply based on the few people I’ve talked to during three sessions of fieldwork, however, I absorb different, even opposing opinions on the approaches to sustaining the ocean, as exemplified by Shannon’s opposition and Barranco’s support of government regulatory policies. Carrying the same objective, the different ideas signify the importance of listening and including more voices in the conversation of sea conservation, especially from those who set their mind to not just exist inside but to live with the ocean. THE AFTER 127

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A P P R E C I AT I O N THANK YOU TO PROFESSOR REBECA MENDEZ, for leading me to the world of ecological arts, directing me to experiment more throughout my book-making, and for the thoughtful meetings that help elevate my typography. THANK YOU TO PRINT LAB SUPERVISOR ISRAEL GUTIERREZ, for supporting my growth as a designer and young adult, for telling me that you are proud of me even on my bad days, and for the double chocolate muffins. THANK YOU TO FINN CHITWOOD AND ISAIAH CHAPEL, for securing me the papers I need in a short time even during the current paper shortages. THANK YOU TO LAUREN MAN, for offering me insights on fieldwork practices during my ideation process. THANK YOU TO FRANK, CHARLIE, CARPOV, AND MAGNUS THE PRINTERS, for giving my pages beautiful colors. THANK YOU TO THE TEACHING ASSISTANTS CARRIE CHEN AND LILI FLORES AGUILAR, AS WELL AS CLASSMATES OF ECOLOGICAL ARTS & JUSTICE FIELDWORK PRACTICE, for the encouragement and feedback throughout the project’s development. THANK YOU TO JOCKO MILADINOVICH, DAN KELLY, MIKE SHANNON, DAMIEN PARKER BARRANCO, LOREN MURAKAMI, JAMIE ERIGIO, FRANK JOSE, CAANH LE, JOSEPH TORNADE, RICK CHUA, MIKE BERGE, YONG KIM, PERLA JUAREZ, JESUS JUAREZ, MARCOS MARTINEZ, TUYET LE, AND SAM LE, for trusting my report and sharing your time and stories with me. THANK YOU TO MOM, for your unconditional love and support. THANK YOU TO THE OCEAN. Appreciation 133

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