Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel O’Shea.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I studied marine biology as an undergraduate student at University of California, Santa Cruz and fell in love with the ocean. I then worked on Catalina Island as a marine science instructor for a number of years where I started to begin my love for fishing and diving. From there I realized that I needed to spend a life on or near the water. I realized that I wanted to help conserve the ocean from a standpoint other than doing research. As I became more and more interested in cooking and taking care of my catches I realized that every time I would cook a new dish that people would ask me how I caught it or where it came from. I soon realized that eating seafood was an amazing way to connect with people on why protecting the ocean is so important due to the visceral nature eating fresh seafood provides for someone. That is when it dawned on me that the way that I needed to connect people to saving the ocean was to ensure that people were eating seafood that was sustainably grown or caught from a place that is not too far away. That led me to the University of California Santa Barbara where I received my masters from the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management where I studied coastal resource management, scientific communications, and seafood certifications and fisheries management. Here is where I realized that my passion could turn into a career and also realized that one of the most unique ports in the state is right here in Santa Barbara. I was lucky enough to chosen to lead the Saturday Fishermen’s Market where commercial fishermen out of our port have the amazing opportunity to sell directly to Santa Barbarans, Goletians, and anyone else who happens to be an early riser and loves their fish.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road by any means and there have been a lot of times where it feels like the ocean conditions are not conducive towards a successful market and it can be hard to get people to show up early for the market when there are different things week in and week out!
We’ve been impressed with Santa Barbara Saturday Fishermen’s Market, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are a group of commercial fishermen in Santa Barbara who fish on the last couple of days each week to bring the freshest catch to the Santa Barbara Harbor. We specialize in seafood that is caught the day before, processed with care by professionals, and each catch is fresh and sourced right from our backyard. I am most proud that have built a community in the harbor that is visited by hundreds of people every day and consistently provide top notch seafood. We want people to know that rain or shine we will always have a fishermen available at the harbor and that with each fish you purchase you support fishermen directly, cutting out the middleman, so that they can put in more effort to fish sustainably.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I think it’s simply that we exist! And also that they can follow our newsletter and instagram so that they can place pre-orders and see what we have that week so that they can plan their week accordingly.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cfsb.info/sat
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saturdayfishermensmarketsb/?hl=en
