Steve Scheiblauer, Marine Alliances Consulting

Retired Monterey Harbormaster & Consultant to Coastal Communities

Steve was the harbormaster in Monterey for 22 years before retiring in in early 2017. Prior to this, he was the harbormaster in Santa Cruz, where he first got to know commercial fishermen and learn about what they needed in a working harbor. “The commercial fishermen were good, hard working family guys,” he said. “I wanted to support them.” To do this, he helped build infrastructure like an ice machine and a fish offloading pier, so it wouldn’t only be for pleasure boats. When he moved to Monterey, he saw commercial fishing as a core part of the town’s culture and history and has worked to preserve it.

He’s on the Board of Directors for the Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust, with Monterey being the first city in the country to purchase fishing quota to keep boats fishing locally, and offloading in the Monterey harbor. He’s known for supporting both best science around sustainable harvesting, and the interests of the fishermen and women. “Most fishermen have that same value and want the resource to be sustainable,” he said. “It’s really negotiating until there’s a win-win.” He will continue his work through Marine Alliances Consulting, specializing in working harbors and sustainable fisheries.