Newport's Dory Fleet hopes to stay afloat…
Newport's Dory Fleet hopes to stay afloat following massive oil spill
How one small, historic business set on the sand at the Newport Pier hopes to survive the massive oil spill that will challenge local fisheries
Scott Breneman shows one off the black cod he has on ice at the Dory Fishing Fleet in Newport Beach, CA, on Tuesday, October 5, 2021. Breneman's business is suffering because this week's oil spill caused the closure of Newport Harbor which means he can't send his fishing boats out to sea. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
By Laylan Connelly | lconnelly@scng.com | Orange County Register
PUBLISHED: October 5, 2021 at 2:57 p.m. | UPDATED: October 5, 2021 at 3:02 p.m.
Scott Breneman typically spends the week on the water, as his family has done since the turn of the 20th century, scouring the sea for fish to lure weekend customers who line up before sunrise at the historic Dory Fishing Fleet and Market to sift through the fresh catch.
But he can't get his boat out of the Newport Harbor, the popular waterway shut down following a massive oil spill that has contaminated Orange County's oceans, so there's no telling when Breneman will be able to get his next batch of fish.
And with the ocean closed, including the stretch where his family has sold fish at the Dory Fleet since 1902, and people likely staying clear of the sand, he's wondering how long his beach-front business will be able to stay afloat.
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"It's going to mess everything up," said Breneman, who said sales for his West Caught Fish Company that operates at the Dory Fleet were already 30 percent down on Sunday when word, like the oil spill itself, started to spread. "The weeks prior, we were solid."
The Dory Fleet is an iconic beachfront business, starting in 1891 when a fisherman started marketing to the public on the beach. These days, four families sell fish as a co-op set right on the sand.
"This unique market makes one reflect on an era when life was simpler," its website reads, noting it earned historical landmark designation in 1969 by the Newport Beach Historical Society.
As a fourth-generation Dory Fleet fisherman operating there since 1902, Breneman and his family have endured challenging times, even surviving the Great Depression. It's a business that, like the ocean, has an ebb and flow, facing challenges like ever-changing fishing regulations, shellfish bacteria that can restrict crab and lobster catch, sewage spills and more.
"A bunch of stuff out of our control," he said.
One of the hardest times for the family business Breneman can remember? The big oil spill in the '90s at Bolsa Chica State Beach, up the coast from the Newport Beach Dory Fleet but close enough to impact business because of the perception about local ocean wildlife, including fish, being contaminated.
"It completely killed the business … it really affected business for a long time when that happened," he said, noting his dad was part of a class-action suit for businesses that suffered. "All the pictures with birds with oil in everybody's face."
He knows the biggest challenge he'll face in coming weeks, maybe months, is the worry the oil spill can bring to people's minds about locally-sourced seafood.
But the fish he brings to Newport are far from the shore, 60-to-100 miles beyond the oil spill contamination. But customers may not make that connection – and the thought of an oil spill may make them think the fish they are eating isn't safe, he worries.
He usually finds his catch in 3,000-foot deep "clean, pure waters."
"I would be out on the boat fishing right now," he said. "I can't get out of the harbor."
So in coming weeks, he'll have to adapt. He's keeping some of last week's black cod catch alive in a saltwater tank so it will be as fresh as possible for the coming weekend, other catch kept on ice.
Until he can get his boat out to sea, the Dory fish market will offer catch from still-open fisheries like up in Santa Barbara for the weekend market, with plenty of yellowtail, bluefin tuna, rockfish, red snapper, shrimp, crab and sea urchin from other anglers who travel down to sell on the sand.
"I'll have to improvise. I have a bunch of friends and work with a lot of fishermen," he said. "I can get my hands on some really good product, but it's definitely not the same profit margin."
If the closures last weeks, or months, he'll have to figure out how to stay afloat, just like he had to during the pandemic when beaches were closed and parking restrictions kept crowds at bay.
"In the beginning, it was very slow. Everyone was scared to go outside," he said, noting he started a home-delivery service to supplement. "We were making money, but it was a lot of extra work."
Business on the beach was just starting to rebound. With restaurants busy again, he could supply fish to local eateries.
But without the ability to get out of the harbor to find catch to sell, it's unknown how long he'll be able to sustain.
"We had some record days leading up to this oil spill. We'll see what happens, we don't know. Hopefully it goes away quickly," he said. "No boats can leave or enter the harbor, zero exceptions."
He knows he's just one of many fisheries that will be struggling, noting that lobster season for commercial fishing starts Wednesday, Oct. 6. With boats unable to leave, there will be no local catch for what is typically the most profitable time of year.
"The first week of the season is when you make all your money," he said. "Who knows what the long-term impacts are going to have on the fisheries. It's a screwed-up deal."
Early morning Tuesday, Oct. 5, he called Harbor Patrol to see if there's any indication on when the harbor would open and was told they had no clue when boats would be allowed in or out.
"It's out of our control," he said. "We're at the mercy of whoever makes the rules."
Laylan Connelly | Reporter
Laylan Connelly started as a journalist in 2002 after earning a degree in journalism from the University of Southern California. Through the years, she has covered several cities for The Orange County Register, starting as a beat reporter in Irvine before focusing on coastal cities such as Newport Beach, Dana Point and Laguna Beach. In 2007, she was selected for a prestigious Knight New Media fellowship focusing on digital media at UC Berkeley, where she learned skills to adapt to the ever-changing online landscape. About the same time, she began covering the 42-miles of Orange County coastline, focusing on lifestyle, environment, surf culture and anything having to do with the beach. Her coastal coverage now extends up the California coast into Long Beach and the South Bay.
lconnelly@scng.com
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