Welcome to
Common Seas

In this interview, veteran sea urchin diver Pete Halmay reflects on more than 50 years diving the California coast and his deep connection to the ocean. He also discusses challenges facing the urchin fleet and the importance of direct marketing and community relationships that support fishermen and sustainable seafood.

In this interview, fisherman Morgan Promnitz shares how growing up fishing along the coast of South Africa shaped his passion for life on the water. He discusses the challenges of modern fishing and why selling directly to chefs who value quality and responsible harvest has become an important part of his work.

In this interview, Elmo reflects on a lifetime of fishing rooted in his upbringing in Point Loma and his parallel career as an educator. He discusses the challenges facing California fishermen while emphasizing stewardship, adaptability, and sharing the value of responsibly harvested seafood with the community.

Chef Moira is a San Diego native committed to zero waste efforts, sustainability and whole-food cooking methods. She prides herself on sourcing local and seasonal ingredients as well repurposing food scraps to use in her dishes. She’s worked at many restaurants across San Diego county and is currently bringing her unique voice and point of

Elliott and Kelly Townsend are the husband and wife team behind the hyper-local Long Story Short in North Park. Their commitment to working with local growers, ranchers, fishers, and makers has positioned them as leaders in the movement. Their philosophy as cooks is simple: start with the best ingredients and try not to screw it

Howie is a next-generation fisherman devoted to creating change within the industry. He’s recently come aboard our advisory committee and has brought an invaluable perspective along with him. As we take steps to uplift, inspire, and educate the community, we can’t do it without the input of industry insiders such as Howie. NAME: Howard Strech 

Ryan is a San Diego-based fisherman who recently made the transition from sport to commercial. We sat down to chat with him about his journey, his favorite catches, and the challenges he’s encountered as he embraces his role of professional fisherman. NAME: Ryan Sebo BUSINESS NAME: Seabo Seafood VESSEL NAME: Seabo HOW DID YOU GET

Third generation fisherman Charlie Saraspe has been on the water since before he was born. We had the chance to chat with him about his favorite species and some of the challenges he faces on and off the water.  NAME: Charlie Saraspe  BUSINESS NAME: Saraspe Seafoods  VESSEL NAME: Sarah Renee  HOW DID YOU GET INTO

Local Fisherman Darian Schramm has been an indispensable asset to our advisory committee since its inception. His unwavering dedication to sourcing the finest quality products through sustainable methods and ensuring their delivery to local communities exemplifies the highest standards and practices upheld by our program. We recently had the privilege of sitting down with Darian

San Diego native Mike Reidy has become synonymous with seafood in the local restaurant scene. After cutting his teeth at the Michelin-starred Mélisse restaurant in Santa Monica, he returned home and decided to focus his cooking through the lens of local seafood. After many years working at the helm of Ironside Fish & Oyster, he

Introducing Marissa Williams: Culinary Innovator and Seafood Champion at Herb and Sea, Encinitas, CA. As a dedicated advocate of the local seafood movement, Marissa’s passion shines through as she sources the freshest catch directly from local fishermen. We’re fortunate enough to have Marissa serve as a member of our advisory committee where her input has

Meet Travis Swikard, the visionary chef and owner behind Callie Restaurant in the heart of East Village. A true pioneer of San Diego’s hyper-local movement, Travis collaborates closely with local farmers and fishers throughout the county. His invaluable presence on our advisory committee is helping to drive the resurgence of local seafood in our community,