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Terminal Island

Terminal Island is a largely artificial island in the Port of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, formed by the engineered combination of smaller landmasses including mudflats known historically as Rattlesnake and Deadman's Islands to support harbor development.^[1]^[2] Originally a marshy area documented by explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo in 1542, it evolved into a site for early canneries starting in 1893, launching the global tuna industry by 1903.^[3]^[4] In the early 20th century, Terminal Island became home to a vibrant Japanese American fishing community of approximately 3,000 residents, who dominated the local tuna fishing and processing through unique techniques and a distinct dialect developed in isolation.^[5]^[4] This community, centered around Tuna Street with structures built between 1918 and 1923, was forcibly evacuated in February 1942 as the first under Executive Order 9066, with residents incarcerated in internment camps and most village buildings subsequently demolished for wartime expansion.^[4]^[6] During World War I and II, the island emerged as a major shipbuilding center, producing record numbers of vessels and establishing Los Angeles as a key maritime hub while introducing progressive labor practices for its growing African American workforce.^[4]^[7] Today, Terminal Island primarily supports container shipping operations as part of one of the busiest ports in the Western Hemisphere, alongside facilities like the Federal Correctional Institution and remnants of its fishing heritage now at risk of further industrial encroachment.^[8]^[6]

Geography and Formation

Location and Physical Characteristics

Terminal Island is a largely artificial landmass located in San Pedro Bay, at the core of the Los Angeles and Long Beach harbor complex in Los Angeles County, California. Positioned between the cities of Los Angeles (San Pedro area) and Long Beach, it forms a key geographic divider within the port, separating outer bay waters from the enclosed inner harbor basins. The island connects to the mainland via elevated bridges, including the Vincent Thomas Bridge linking to San Pedro and the Gerald Desmond Replacement Bridge to Long Beach, spanning approximately 4.46 square miles (11.56 square kilometers) or 2,854 acres.^[9]^[2] Primarily created through dredging and landfilling of harbor sediments onto former mudflats and smaller natural features like Rattlesnake and Deadman's islands in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Terminal Island exhibits flat, low-lying terrain with elevations typically under 10 feet above sea level. Its surface consists of engineered fill material, resulting in extensive waterfront shorelines suited for deep-water access but with minimal natural topography or vegetation cover, dominated instead by paved and developed industrial expanses.^[10]^[2] The island's strategic placement adjacent to primary shipping channels enhances navigational efficiency by helping enclose the sheltered harbor areas, where depths range from 32 to 75 feet in surrounding San Pedro Bay waters, supporting large-scale vessel traffic while mitigating exposure to open ocean conditions.^[11]^[12]

Historical Engineering and Land Creation

Dredging operations in San Pedro Bay commenced in the 1870s to accommodate larger vessels by deepening harbor channels, with Phineas Banning improving the waterway in 1871 after Congress authorized a rock jetty appropriation.^[5] The extracted spoil material was deposited onto the tidal mudflats of Rattlesnake Island—a small, unstable shoal—to elevate and consolidate the terrain, initiating the accumulation of solid land from hydraulic deposition.^[12] By the early 1900s, repeated dredging cycles had sufficiently stabilized these deposits, expanding the island's footprint and enabling preliminary port infrastructure.^[12] Federal involvement escalated with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' establishment of the Los Angeles District in 1899, followed by systematic dredging and the San Pedro breakwater project initiated on August 12, 1898, and completed in 1912 at 9,250 feet long using 3 million tons of rock.^[13]^[14] Local and federal investments, including Rivers and Harbors Act appropriations, funded channel deepening to 24 feet by 1901 and further spoil utilization for land infill, transforming expansive tidal flats into approximately 1,000 acres of viable upland by the 1910s through directed hydraulic fill behind retention structures.^[13] These engineering feats were motivated by economic imperatives to develop a deep-water harbor rivaling San Francisco's, prioritizing navigational efficiency over natural topography.^[12] The 1920s introduced challenges such as subsidence in the newly filled hydraulic lands and recurrent silting from floods, exemplified by the 1914 and 1916 events that deposited sediment across the bay.^[13] Mitigation included the 1923 diversion of the Los Angeles River to reduce flood inflows and persistent dredging to maintain channel depths, with over 11 million cubic yards of accumulated sand removed from the river delta between 1928 and 1939 to prevent further instability.^[13] These measures, coordinated by the Corps, ensured long-term structural integrity amid the soft-soil substrate, though the reclaimed areas remained susceptible to seismic liquefaction risks inherent to unconsolidated fills.^[15]

History

Early Settlement and Industrial Beginnings

Prior to European arrival, the mudflats and tidal areas that would become Terminal Island served as fishing grounds and resource sites for the Tongva (also known as Gabrielino) people, indigenous to the Los Angeles Basin and San Pedro Bay region, where they harvested fish and shellfish using plank canoes and nets.^[16]^[17] Spanish explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo documented Tongva presence in the bay upon his 1542 landing, noting smoke from their fires used in fish smoking for preservation.^[17] Under Spanish and later Mexican rule, the surrounding lands fell within Rancho Los Nietos, a vast 167,000-acre grant awarded to soldier Manuel Nieto on November 22, 1784, by the Spanish Crown, encompassing much of modern southeastern Los Angeles County and parts of the harbor area for cattle ranching and grazing.^[18]^[19] Following Mexican independence in 1821, the rancho persisted until subdivided among Nieto's heirs in 1834 into smaller holdings like Rancho Los Cerritos, with the bay's mudflats remaining largely undeveloped wetlands used sporadically for maritime access rather than settlement.^[19] In the late 19th century, European immigrants, primarily Portuguese whalers, initiated industrial activities in San Pedro Bay, establishing shore stations on nearby Deadman's Island for gray whale processing as early as the 1860s, driven by demand for whale oil in lighting and machinery lubrication.^[20] These operations focused on seasonal hunting from lookouts and rowboats, yielding products like oil and bone, but emphasized transient extraction over permanent communities. By the 1890s, as Los Angeles emerged as a key Pacific port amid railroad expansion, basic facilities appeared, including the Southern California Fish Company's sardine cannery opened in 1893 on the emerging Terminal Island sandbar, processing local catches for export and marking the shift toward preserved seafood amid urban growth incentives.^[21]^[22] Initial efforts prioritized resource harvesting for distant markets, with minimal residential development on the low-lying, flood-prone site until later dredging stabilized it.^[21]

Rise of the Japanese American Fishing Community

![Shinto Temple in Japanese Fishing Village Terminal Island published 1941.jpg][float-right] Japanese fishermen began settling on Terminal Island around 1900, primarily from Wakayama and Shizuoka prefectures, after initial abalone and lobster ventures in the San Pedro Bay area dating to 1899. By 1907, about 600 Japanese operated fishing activities there, adapting traditional methods like hardhat diving for deep-water abalone harvesting (20-65 feet) in teams with assistants for efficiency. These early immigrants, numbering 12-15 pioneers from Wakayama, laid the foundation for commercial fishing, with figures like Zenkichi Hamashita establishing the first ventures in 1906.^[23]^[24]^[25] The community expanded to nearly 3,000 residents by the early 1940s, achieving dominance in tuna fishing through innovations such as bamboo poles with barbless hooks, live bait tanks on 45-hp boats introduced in the 1910s, and transitions to larger purse seiners (65-100 feet) post-World War I for greater yields. These techniques, combined with early ice machines for preservation, enabled high productivity and supported canneries like the California Fish Company, which perfected tuna canning in 1903 to market it affordably. Male fishermen and female cannery workers under contract drove the industry's growth, teaching techniques to non-Japanese operators and establishing Southern California's tuna sector as a multimillion-dollar enterprise.^[23]^[25]^[23] Cultural institutions reinforced self-sufficiency, including the East San Pedro School built in 1924 for hundreds of Nisei children, Buddhist temples, a Shinto shrine, judo hall, Fishermen's Hall, and Baptist church, promoting education, recreation, and mutual reciprocity in a tight-knit village. Tuna Street hosted dozens of Japanese-owned stores, restaurants, and a bank, underscoring economic independence and community cohesion without reliance on external aid.^[23]

World War II Internment and Immediate Aftermath

Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, U.S. naval authorities identified Terminal Island's strategic location adjacent to Los Angeles Harbor and its naval facilities as a potential vulnerability to espionage or sabotage by Japanese American fishermen.^[26] Their boats, equipped with depth finders and other gear for commercial fishing, were viewed as possible tools for reconnaissance or signaling enemy submarines, prompting precautionary measures despite no documented acts of disloyalty among residents.^[23] On February 26, 1942, the Navy issued an order requiring all persons of Japanese ancestry—approximately 3,000 individuals from about 500 families—to evacuate the island within 48 hours, marking the first such forced removal of Japanese Americans on the West Coast.^[27]^[28] Residents, many of whom were first-generation immigrants or their descendants operating fishing businesses, had limited time to liquidate assets or arrange storage, leading to hasty sales of boats, nets, and homes at severe undervaluation.^[29] Evacuees were initially held at temporary assembly centers before relocation to War Relocation Authority camps, with Terminal Island families predominantly sent to Manzanar in California's Owens Valley.^[23] The policy stemmed from wartime fears of invasion or subversion, as articulated by military leaders like Admiral John Dewitt, who cited the island's proximity to fortified harbors and the fishermen's access to coastal waters as risks warranting preemptive action, even absent specific intelligence of threats from this community.^[30] In the immediate aftermath, the U.S. Navy seized control of Terminal Island, demolishing homes, canneries, and other structures to repurpose the site for military expansion and harbor defense fortifications, erasing much of the village's physical footprint.^[29] Terminal Island residents experienced among the most acute property losses of any West Coast group, with businesses and vessels—central to the local tuna fishing economy—often confiscated or destroyed without compensation, contributing to broader Japanese American wartime economic damages later estimated in the hundreds of millions nationwide by federal commissions.^[31] While proponents justified the measures as necessary safeguards against potential fifth-column activities amid the Pacific theater's uncertainties, post-war inquiries, including the 1980s Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians, found no evidence of widespread espionage or sabotage by Japanese Americans, framing the evictions as driven more by racial prejudice and generalized anxiety than targeted threats—though the Supreme Court's 1944 Korematsu v. United States decision initially upheld similar exclusions on military necessity grounds.^[32]^[33]

Post-War Industrial Transformation

Following World War II, Terminal Island's industrial landscape shifted as wartime shipbuilding yards, which had produced hundreds of vessels including 467 at the California Shipbuilding yard, repurposed for ship repair, maintenance, and scrapping operations to meet peacetime naval and commercial demands.^[34]^[7] Facilities like Southwest Marine underwent multimillion-dollar expansions from the late 1950s through the mid-1960s, modernizing infrastructure for efficient vessel overhauls amid growing Pacific trade routes.^[7] This transition was driven by federal policy prioritizing maritime logistics recovery and economic expansion, with the island's expanded military bases and tank farms supporting logistics for Cold War-era operations.^[35] The fishing sector, peaking with the world's largest tuna canning operations in 1946, faced decline from depleted sardine, mackerel, and tuna stocks due to overharvesting and shifting ocean conditions, compounded by economic pressures from foreign imports.^[36]^[37] By the 1970s, regulatory constraints on domestic fleets and competition from lower-cost overseas producers accelerated cannery closures in Fish Harbor, reducing the island's reliance on seafood processing.^[37]^[38] Resettlement after wartime displacements proved challenging, as returning workers encountered a dispersed community and prioritized industrial jobs over rebuilding fishing enterprises, further eroding traditional harbor activities.^[35] Containerization revolutionized port operations starting in the late 1950s, enabling scalable cargo handling that aligned with surging import demands from Asia and federal investments in infrastructure.^[39] The Port of Los Angeles initiated a $37 million expansion in 1960, adding 15 berths and five terminals to accommodate standardized containers, which boosted throughput efficiency and attracted manufacturing and petrochemical facilities.^[40] By the 1980s, these developments had integrated Terminal Island into a heavy industry hub, with petroleum storage tanks, oil derricks, and processing plants supplanting fisheries amid the island's zoning for high-volume logistics and energy sectors.^[41] This causal pivot from labor-intensive fishing to capital-intensive trade and refining reflected broader economic realignments favoring mechanized scale over artisanal production.^[39]

Economy and Infrastructure

Maritime and Port Operations

Terminal Island hosts several major container terminals integral to the Port of Los Angeles (POLA), including the Fenix Marine Services terminal spanning nearly 300 acres and the Everport Container Terminal at Berths 226-236.^[42]^[43] These facilities feature specialized berths and container yards designed to accommodate mega-ships with capacities exceeding 20,000 TEUs, enabling efficient handling of oversized vessels through super post-Panamax ship-to-shore cranes.^[44] In 2024, POLA operations, bolstered by Terminal Island's infrastructure, processed a record 10.3 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), accounting for approximately 17% of total U.S. containerized waterborne imports.^[45]^[46] The port managed 216 million metric revenue tons of cargo that year, supporting integration into global supply chains via thousands of annual vessel calls for containerized freight.^[45] These operations facilitate rapid turnaround for trans-Pacific routes, with on-dock rail access linking to inland distribution networks. Technological advancements at POLA terminals, including those on Terminal Island, incorporate automated and electrified equipment to enhance efficiency and reduce emissions. Examples include hydrogen fuel cell-powered rubber-tired gantry (RTG) cranes deployed in 2024, which eliminate diesel use and support zero-emission goals without compromising productivity.^[47] Additional upgrades feature electric mobile harbor cranes for non-container cargo, contributing to broader electrification initiatives funded by federal grants exceeding $400 million for clean equipment transitions.^[48]^[49] Maritime activities on Terminal Island drive substantial economic value for the Los Angeles region, generating jobs in logistics, maintenance, and support services while underpinning supply chain resilience. POLA's throughput supports nationwide employment for nearly 3 million workers through direct and induced effects, with Terminal Island's role in container processing amplifying local GDP contributions via freight movement and terminal operations.^[11]

Fishing and Seafood Processing

Fish Harbor on Terminal Island serves as the Port of Los Angeles's primary commercial fishing district, supporting a remnant fleet engaged mainly in market squid (Doryteuthis opalescens) purse-seine operations conducted nocturnally, alongside daytime pursuits of highly migratory species such as tuna.^[50]^[51] Following the post-World War II erosion of local canning infrastructure and community-based dominance, fishing activities consolidated into smaller-scale endeavors by the 1970s, with vessel numbers and license holders declining sharply—from 317 associated licenses in 2000 to 112 by 2021—reflecting adaptations to mechanized vessels and corporate procurement models.^[52]^[50] Annual landings at San Pedro, encompassing Terminal Island's Fish Harbor, averaged approximately 35.3 million pounds from the late 2010s, valued at $17.3 million ex-vessel, with market squid and highly migratory species accounting for about 70% of port value during 2017–2021.^[53]^[50] Much of the catch is offloaded to major processors like Tri-Marine International and Western Fishboat Owners Association, which handle freezing, export preparation, and distribution, marking a shift from localized, family-operated processing to integrated supply chains serving domestic and international markets.^[51] Export-oriented squid products, including rings and tubes, contribute to California's broader fishery output, where squid landings exceeded 100 million pounds statewide in peak recent years.^[54] The sector faces regulatory constraints under the California Market Squid Fishery Management Plan, including daily incidental catch limits (e.g., no more than 10% non-squid by weight per boat) and seasonal block closures triggered upon reaching 20% or 40% of prior-year landings to curb overharvest.^[55]^[54] These measures, enforced by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, aim to sustain the short-lived, high-turnover squid stocks, which exhibit resilience through rapid reproduction but vulnerability to environmental variability like ocean warming.^[56] Competition from imported seafood and fluctuating ex-vessel prices—averaging $700 per short ton in sampled periods—have prompted occasional labor disputes, such as 2023 strikes over per-ton compensation in southern ports.^[57]^[58] Despite these pressures, the fishery maintains sustainability credentials, with U.S. wild-caught market squid rated as a "smart seafood choice" due to limited bycatch and effective quota-based oversight.^[54]

Federal Facilities and Prisons

The site of the Federal Correctional Institution, Terminal Island (FCI Terminal Island) was originally developed as a U.S. Navy facility during World War II, with the Naval Operating Base Terminal Island established on September 25, 1941, to support fleet operations and ship repairs in the Port of Los Angeles. In May 1941, the naval complex on the island was designated Roosevelt Base, Terminal Island, encompassing shipyard and training functions amid wartime expansion. Following the war, as military needs diminished, the Bureau of Prisons assumed control of the former Navy facility in the 1950s, converting it into a correctional institution by the early 1960s to house federal offenders.^[59] FCI Terminal Island functions as a low-security federal prison for male inmates, complemented by an adjacent minimum-security satellite camp, with operations focused on custody, care, and rehabilitation under Bureau of Prisons oversight. The facility maintains a staff of 269 personnel, including correctional officers and administrators, to manage daily security and programming for inmates whose median sentence length stands at 87 months. Inmates participate in structured activities, such as UNICOR-operated metal fabrication factories, which provide vocational training and have been linked to reduced recidivism; federal studies indicate participants in prison industries are 24% less likely to reoffend compared to non-participants.^[60]^[61]^[62] Federal oversight emphasizes risk assessment and program efficacy, with the Bureau employing tools like the Prisoner Assessment Tool Targeting Estimated Risk and Needs (PATTERN) to classify inmates—system-wide, about 26% of federal prisoners are deemed high-risk for recidivism as of 2023. The prison's strategic location within the port complex supports broader administrative functions, including coordination with federal agencies on maritime security protocols, though primary operations remain centered on inmate management and escape prevention through reinforced perimeters and monitoring reforms implemented post-notable incidents across BOP facilities.^[63]^[64]

Bridges and Connectivity

The Vincent Thomas Bridge, a suspension structure opened on November 15, 1963, connects Terminal Island to the San Pedro area of Los Angeles across Los Angeles Harbor, measuring 6,050 feet in total length with a central span of 1,500 feet and a clearance of 185 feet beneath.^[65] ^[66] Following vulnerabilities exposed by the 1994 Northridge earthquake, California Department of Transportation engineers implemented seismic retrofits, including the addition of 40 fluid viscous dampers to mitigate dynamic responses, fused hinges in stiffening trusses, and side-span truss modifications, with completion in spring 2000.^[67] ^[68] These enhancements addressed the bridge's tall, slender towers and site-specific soil conditions, improving its capacity to withstand moderate seismic events without collapse.^[69] The Long Beach International Gateway Bridge, replacing the original Gerald Desmond Bridge, opened to traffic in October 2020 as a cable-stayed design linking Terminal Island to Long Beach, with a main span providing 205 feet of vertical clearance to permit passage of supersized container vessels up to 9,000 TEUs.^[70] ^[71] Engineered for superior seismic performance, it incorporates tower dampers to prevent deck-tower collisions, large-displacement expansion joints allowing up to six feet of multi-directional movement, and foundations on 352 cast-in-drilled-hole piles, enabling elastic response under a 1,000-year earthquake event and rapid post-quake recovery.^[72] ^[73] ^[74] Together, these bridges form the principal vehicular corridors to Terminal Island, channeling substantial truck volumes essential for freight logistics while demanding ongoing maintenance, such as the Vincent Thomas Bridge's current deck replacement and seismic sensor upgrades initiated in 2024 to sustain structural integrity amid heavy industrial loads.^[75]

Community Legacies and Contributions

The Japanese American residents of Terminal Island established a robust fishing economy before World War II, employing self-reliant practices that expanded commercial tuna canning. By the 1930s, the community numbered around 2,000 to 3,000 individuals, with most men serving as fishermen and women in canneries, supporting operations that processed catches into products shipped nationwide.^[76] ^[77] This workforce underpinned Terminal Island's role as a key hub with up to 16 canneries, generating ancillary employment in vessel repair, gear production, and logistics, thereby creating economic multipliers across Southern California's maritime supply chains.^[37] Their techniques and diligence positioned San Pedro as a national fishing center, directly enhancing U.S. food security through reliable seafood provisions.^[23] ^[78] Following internment in 1942 and subsequent industrial conversion of the island, community dispersal integrated former residents into wider Los Angeles networks, where they adapted to diverse occupations while sustaining cultural continuity. Oral histories from survivors highlight resilience in rebuilding lives post-release, often transitioning to related fields like gardening or urban trades, without reliance on displacement compensation.^[79] ^[35] The Terminal Islanders' Association, established in 1971 by descendants and survivors, preserves these accounts, emphasizing innovations in fishing that endured despite policy disruptions like forced removal.^[80] Descendants maintain involvement in regional maritime activities, including port labor unions, perpetuating the community's foundational economic impacts on Los Angeles' infrastructure. This legacy underscores empirical contributions to industry growth and self-sufficiency, outweighing interruptions from wartime policies that scattered but did not erase the foundational workforce model.^[4]^[1]

Representations in Media and Literature

The book Terminal Island: Lost Communities on America's Edge (2024), co-authored by Naomi Hirahara and Geraldine Knatz, chronicles the island's progression from a resort enclave to a hub of Japanese American fishing and canning operations, emphasizing the adaptive resilience of its immigrant communities amid industrial shifts.^[81]^[82] Published by Angel City Press, it draws on archival photos and resident accounts to illustrate the interplay of maritime labor and cultural continuity, without romanticizing the era's economic precarity.^[83] The documentary Terminal Island: The Rise and Removal of a Japanese Community (uploaded 2024), associated with USC Price School of Public Policy, traces the establishment of the island's fishing village through firsthand narratives, highlighting techniques like tuna netting that sustained over 3,000 residents by the 1940s.^[84] It focuses on the community's self-reliant adaptations to harbor industrialization, using interviews to convey the dialect known as "Paja," a blend of Japanese and English pidgin unique to Terminal Island fishermen.^[85] In film, Terminal Island (1973), directed by Stephanie Rothman and starring Phyllis Davis and Don Marshall, portrays a lawless penal colony where convicts are exiled post-execution moratorium, explicitly evoking the real Federal Correctional Institution on Terminal Island as its setting.^[86] The plot underscores themes of raw survival and improvised hierarchies among inmates, mirroring the island's actual role as a low-security federal prison since 1938, though the narrative fictionalizes unsupervised brutality for dramatic effect. Oral histories, such as those archived in the Japanese American History Oral History Project (1966–2017), capture fishing lore from Issei and Nisei residents, detailing boat-building innovations and seasonal migrations that defined the community's economic adaptation. These accounts, including interviews with figures like Elva Bell referencing the village's resourcefulness, preserve intangible elements like communal seafood processing rituals, often overlooked in broader maritime histories.^[87] Los Angeles Times reporting, including a 2024 article on the island's "lost communities," features descendant testimonies on the fishing industry's legacy, such as the expertise in canning that influenced regional seafood trade, presented through unvarnished personal anecdotes rather than aggregated narratives.^[88] Earlier pieces, like a 1994 feature, document the village's pre-war vibrancy via survivor recollections of street life and labor solidarity.^[35]

Preservation Efforts and Ongoing Debates

In 2024 and 2025, preservation campaigns focused on the Nanka Shoten building (constructed 1918) and A. Nakamura Co. building (constructed 1923), the sole surviving pre-World War II commercial structures from Terminal Island's Japanese American fishing village, located at 700-702 and 712-716 Tuna Street.^[6]^[89] These efforts, led by the Terminal Islanders Association—formed in 1971 to safeguard the community's cultural legacy—and supported by the Los Angeles Conservancy, culminated in the buildings' inclusion on the National Trust for Historic Preservation's 2025 list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places in May 2025.^[90]^[80] In February 2025, Los Angeles City Councilmember Tim McOsker introduced a motion to designate them as Historic-Cultural Monuments (HCMs), which the Cultural Heritage Commission approved in August 2025, granting protections under the Los Angeles Administrative Code against demolition or major alterations without review.^[77]^[91] Ownership by the Port of Los Angeles has fueled conflicts, as the agency proposed demolition in May 2024 to expand container storage and accommodate roadway and rail realignments, viewing the vacant, deteriorating structures as incompatible with operational needs.^[4]^[90] The Port's Five-Year Capital Expenditure Plan for fiscal years 2025-2030 allocated $97,478 for their demolition, scheduled for completion by February 2026, though the HCM designation has paused such plans pending integration into the Port Master Plan Update.^[92] Advocates argue for adaptive reuse to honor the site's role in Japanese American maritime history and tuna canning, potentially qualifying for National Register listing and enabling interpretive markers or exhibits, but port officials prioritize industrial efficiency, citing the buildings' minimal footprint against broader demands for cargo throughput exceeding 9 million twenty-foot equivalent units annually.^[6]^[93] Debates center on cultural value versus economic opportunity costs, with preservationists emphasizing the structures' embodiment of social and economic contributions by over 3,000 Japanese Americans pre-evacuation, including establishment of Los Angeles' tuna fleet, against the port's need to avoid any impediments to expansion that sustains regional jobs and revenue.^[4]^[77] While heritage tourism data specific to Terminal Island remains limited due to its restricted industrial access, comparable sites like Manzanar National Historic Site draw over 100,000 visitors yearly for educational value, suggesting potential for modest interpretive gains without significant revenue; however, retaining the buildings incurs maintenance costs and could constrain micro-scale land use in a facility generating billions in annual economic activity, though their designation represents a partial success in balancing heritage with development via mandated review processes.

Recent Developments and Controversies

Port Expansion Projects

In October 2025, the Port of Los Angeles issued a request for proposals (RFP) for the pre-development of Pier 500, a proposed 200-acre marine container terminal on the southern tip of Terminal Island along the Pier 400 Channel.^[94] The project envisions two new berths with approximately 3,000 linear feet of wharf space, designed to accommodate ultra-large container vessels (ULCVs) and prioritize rail-first operations to reduce dwell times and enhance cargo throughput efficiency.^[95] Proponents anticipate significant trade benefits, including expanded capacity for the busiest U.S. port, projected job creation in terminal operations and logistics, and improved supply chain resilience amid rising import volumes.^[96] The Pier 500 initiative emphasizes sustainable infrastructure, with plans for electrification of equipment to support cleaner operations and lower emissions compared to existing facilities.^[97] As a stand-alone terminal south of the existing Pier 400, it aims to alleviate congestion by handling mega-ships more effectively, potentially increasing annual cargo volumes while integrating advanced technologies for on-dock rail and automated systems.^[98] The RFP targets experienced developers capable of a decade-long construction timeline, with pre-development focusing on feasibility studies, design, and environmental compliance to ensure long-term viability.^[99] Complementing Pier 500, the Port of Los Angeles released a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) in September 2025 for the Terminal Island Maritime Support Facility at 740 Terminal Way, spanning about 89 acres.^[100] This project proposes constructing office trailers, maintenance and repair facilities, chassis storage stalls for thousands of units, and supporting infrastructure like water and electrical systems to streamline drayage operations and reduce off-port trucking bottlenecks.^[101] It targets efficiency gains by centralizing chassis management near active terminals, enabling faster container turnaround and supporting increased trade volumes without proportional emissions growth through electrified yards.^[102] Both projects incorporate rigorous environmental reviews under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), with the DEIR for the support facility analyzing air quality, traffic, and habitat impacts while inviting public comments through October 2025 to refine mitigation measures.^[103] These expansions reflect broader port strategies to boost competitiveness in global trade, projecting thousands of direct and indirect jobs while addressing supply chain demands from Asia-Pacific imports, though final approvals hinge on developer proposals and regulatory clearances.^[104]

Historical Site Preservation Conflicts

The two surviving buildings at 700–702 and 712–716 Tuna Street, constructed in the 1920s and 1930s as part of Terminal Island's Japanese American commercial fishing village, faced demolition threats in 2024 from Port of Los Angeles expansion plans aimed at expanding container storage and rail yard capacity.^[90]^[78] These structures, the last remnants of a community displaced during World War II when residents were given 48 hours to evacuate in February 1942 for naval repurposing, represent a rare physical link to prewar Japanese American maritime history in Los Angeles.^[105] Port authorities argued that clearing the sites would enhance operational efficiency at a facility handling over 9 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) annually, supporting regional economic growth amid rising global trade demands.^[90] Preservation advocates, including Japanese American descendants and groups like the Los Angeles Conservancy, organized rallies and lobbied against the demolitions, highlighting the buildings' cultural significance and the port's history of removing historic structures without adequate mitigation.^[106]^[4] In May 2025, the National Trust for Historic Preservation added the Tuna Street buildings to its annual list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places, citing the imminent risk from port development and urging alternatives like adaptive reuse.^[90] Community efforts emphasized the sites' role in commemorating the forced removal of approximately 1,600 residents during wartime, framing preservation as essential to counter historical erasure.^[107] On August 20, 2025, the Los Angeles City Council approved Historic-Cultural Monument status for the buildings, providing legal protection under the city's administrative code against demolition or significant alteration without review.^[77]^[108] This designation followed a Cultural Heritage Commission recommendation and public hearings, marking a compromise that preserves the structures while allowing potential integration into future port plans, such as the proposed 89-acre Terminal Island Maritime Support Facility.^[103] However, ongoing port master plan updates continue to prioritize infrastructure enhancements, illustrating persistent tensions between heritage safeguards and the economic imperatives of maintaining competitiveness in international shipping.^[4] In broader terms, these conflicts reflect challenges in high-density port regions where historical sites tied to ethnic enclaves and wartime events compete with imperatives for logistical expansion; while preservation secures memory and identity, unchecked development risks cultural loss, yet port stagnation could undermine jobs and trade flows critical to California's economy.^[78]^[4] No federal NEPA litigation specifically targeted these buildings, as disputes centered on local landmark processes rather than environmental impact assessments for federally assisted projects.^[93]

Contemporary Policy Uses and Criticisms

In June 2025, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began utilizing federal facilities on Terminal Island, including the U.S. Coast Guard base, as a staging area for immigration enforcement operations across the Los Angeles region.^[109]^[110] These activities, which commenced around June 6, involved assembling vehicles and personnel for raids targeting individuals with criminal records or immigration violations, amid a policy emphasis on mass deportations following record-high border encounters exceeding 2.4 million in fiscal year 2024.^[111] By mid-July 2025, federal data indicated nearly 2,800 detentions in the Los Angeles area since the operations intensified, with Terminal Island serving logistical purposes rather than as a detention site.^[111]^[112] Proponents of the policy frame the use of Terminal Island as a pragmatic response to enforcement challenges posed by urban geography and resource constraints, enabling rapid deployment without repurposing civilian infrastructure.^[113] Federal officials have emphasized that the staging aligns with statutory mandates under the Immigration and Nationality Act, focusing on public safety threats from unchecked illegal entries and prior administrations' lax enforcement, which contributed to sustained border surges.^[114] No documented instances exist of Terminal Island being used for indefinite holding or ethnic-based roundups, distinguishing it from historical precedents; operations have remained confined to preparatory logistics, with vehicles tracked departing for targeted arrests elsewhere.^[110]^[115] Criticisms have centered on the site's historical resonance, with Japanese American advocacy groups, such as the Japanese American National Museum, condemning the federal presence as evoking the February 1942 forced removal of Terminal Island's approximately 1,500 Japanese fishing village residents—the first West Coast internment action under Executive Order 9066.^[116]^[117] On June 27, 2025, descendants and community leaders rallied at the Japanese Fishing Village Memorial, arguing the staging "chillingly echoes" wartime injustices and risks normalizing surveillance in a "haunted" locale tied to civil liberties violations.^[117]^[118] Local elected officials, including Los Angeles City Council members Tim McOsker and Marqueece Harris-Dawson, joined press conferences on July 11, 2025, demanding an end to the use, citing community trauma and potential for overreach despite federal assertions of targeted enforcement.^[119]^[120] The Los Angeles Harbor Commission, on July 17, 2025, formally expressed concerns over disruptions to port operations and historical sensitivities but stopped short of prohibiting access, opting for monitored coordination with federal agencies.^[121] Activist responses included citizen patrols by groups like Unión del Barrio, which tracked ICE vehicles via license plates from Terminal Island to raid sites as far as Ventura and Sacramento, prompting debates over the legality of such surveillance—deemed permissible by legal experts absent interference.^[114]^[113] Defenders counter that equating routine law enforcement with wartime internment overlooks material differences: modern operations prioritize removable criminal non-citizens per congressional directives, without mass ethnic displacement, and historical analogies from affected communities often amplify symbolic grievances over operational necessities.^[112] No verified evidence has emerged of policy misuse, such as unauthorized detentions on the island, underscoring the staging's alignment with executive priorities for border security amid ongoing migration pressures.^[111]^[122]

References

[1]
The forgotten history of Terminal Island | USC Price
Aug 29, 2024 · In the early 1940s, a vibrant Japanese fishing village thrived on Terminal Island. Immigrant families – with their exceptional ability to catch ...
[2]
Terminal Island - The Center for Land Use Interpretation
Terminal Island is an artificial landmass in the heart of the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, and was the subject of an exhibit at the CLUI Los Angeles.
[3]
Cabrillo's Legacy | History - Port of Los Angeles
The first official documentation of the harbor was by Portuguese explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo. On October 8, 1542, Cabrillo came across a marshland and ...
[4]
Terminal Island - LA Conservancy
Feb 19, 2025 · Terminal Island tells an important story about Los Angeles and the nation's maritime, commercial, and Japanese American history.
[5]
Los Angeles Harbor Communities | History
During the early 20th century, Terminal Island was home to approximately 3,000 Japanese-Americans who earned their livelihood catching and cleaning fish.
[6]
Terminal Island Japanese American Tuna Street Buildings
Terminal Island Japanese American Tuna Street Buildings · Constructed: 1918-1923 · Location: Port of Los Angeles, California.
[7]
Wartime Shipbuilding at Terminal Island - LA Conservancy
It helped establish Los Angeles as a world port and was the site of progressive labor policies for the burgeoning African American population of Southern ...
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Port 101 | An Introduction to America's Port - Port of Los Angeles
The City of Los Angeles created the Board of Harbor Commissioners Dec. 9, 1907, thus marking the official founding of the Port of Los Angeles. The cities of San ...
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South Bay History: The islands of L.A. Harbor – Dead Man's Island ...
Aug 20, 2019 · Terminal Island, a mostly man-made creation as currently configured, covers 2,854 acres, and stretches over from the Port of Los Angeles into ...
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Terminal Island, California | Densho Encyclopedia
Sep 10, 2024 · Its name is a reference to the burials of lost mariners and Indians found by later visitors including Richard Henry Dana who described this " ...The Island's Origin · East San Pedro · Exclusion · Postwar
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About | Port of Los Angeles
Celebrating 25 years as the busiest container port in the Western Hemisphere.Contact Us · History · City of Los Angeles Employment · Leadership
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Land Claimed and Waterfront Expanded: Past, Present and Future
May 2, 2013 · Dredging the San Pedro Harbor for the benefit of larger cargo ships created a plentiful amount of material that was used to extend Terminal ...Missing: formation landfilling
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[PDF] A History of the Los Angeles District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ...
Rattlesnake Island, renamed it prosaically Terminal Island, and built the ... acquiring frontage land and built a .terminal on it. Then the city accepted a ...
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[PDF] HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES HARBOR Chief, River and Harbor ...
The Corps of Engineers created the Los Angeles District in 1899, and the first. District Engineer, in compliance with the Act of March 3 of that year, had a new.
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[PDF] Liquefaction Potential of Proposed Fills, Los Angeles Harbor ... - DTIC
The sediments in the wetlands to the north of what is now Terminal Island were largely estuarine muds. ... existing hydraulic fill materials immediately north of ...
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Gabrielino/Tongva Nation of the Greater Los Angeles Basin
In 1771, the Spanish turned their sights to conquer and enslave the Tongva by using them as the slave labor force to build the Misión de San Gabriel Arcángel, ...Missing: Terminal early
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San Pedro - Pictures and Travelogue - Ted Marcus' Virtual Light Table
The Tongva people greeted the Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo when he “discovered” San Pedro Bay in 1542. Noticing that smoke from Tongva fires ...<|control11|><|separator|>
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Long Beach - Signal Hill Historical Society
In 1784 the Spanish Empire's King Carlos III granted Rancho Los Nietos to Spanish soldier Manuel Nieto. The Rancho Los Cerritos and Rancho Los Alamitos were ...
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Manuel Nieto Project: The 1834 Breakup of Rancho Los Nietos in ...
what would become Rancho Los Nietos ...
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[PDF] A Brief History of Pacific Coast Whaling - Fort Ross
n's Island in San Pedro Bay. •. • r .,. : •. :whales were caught at Galeta near Santa Barbara beb-1een 1870 and 1880.. And there was a station at Cojo tl.iego ...
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Cannery History
In 1893 Albert Halfhill and associates opened, Southern California Fish Company, the first sardine cannery in on Terminal Island in the San Pedro Bay.Missing: 1880s | Show results with:1880s
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Albert Halfhill: The man who transformed once-lowly tuna into the ...
Apr 12, 2024 · They relocated the operation to Terminal Island in San Pedro, opening the California Fish Co. in February 1893 in what was known then as East ...Missing: date | Show results with:date
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Japanese American History at Terminal Island - LA Conservancy
When a dozen Japanese fishermen settled on Terminal Island at the turn of the twentieth century, it was still a rural stretch of land, with around 200 homes.
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A Short-Lived Livelihood: Chinese and Japanese Abalone ...
Jul 15, 2024 · Chinese and Japanese sherds from Channel Island. Chinese (left) and Japanese (right) sherds excavated from Channel Islands abalone campsites.Missing: wet- packing Terminal
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FISHING INDUSTRY
The history of Terminal Island is a history of fishing and related industries. To think it was started by the enterprising 12 or 15 men from Wakayama-ken is ...Missing: wet- | Show results with:wet-
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Timeline: Japanese Americans during World War II
February 26, 1942: A naval order requires all people of Japanese ancestry on Terminal Island, California to evacuate their homes and businesses in forty-eight ...
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WWII Japanese American Internment Timeline - Rohwer Heritage Site
The Navy informs Japanese American residents of Terminal Island near Los Angeles Harbor that they must leave in 48 hours. They are the first group to be removed ...
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Manzanar NHS: Historic Resource Study/Special History Study ...
Jan 1, 2002 · The evacuee observed that Terminal Island "had over 3,000 Japanese residents who lived quietly and in a law abiding manner there through the ...
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A Village Disappeared, Thanks to Executive Order 9066
On February 2.5, Navy personnel started posting notices: All Japanese were to be off the island within 48 hours. “The notice never said anything about where to ...
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A Brief History of Japanese American Relocation During World War ...
The first evacuation under the auspices of the Army began March 24 on Bainbridge Island near Seattle, and was repeated all along the West Coast. In all, 108 " ...
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Manzanar NHS: Historic Resource Study/Special History Study ...
The two West Coast groups which suffered the most severe property losses during evacuation were probably the people from Terminal Island and the people from the ...
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Sold, Damaged, Stolen, Gone: Japanese American Property Loss ...
Apr 4, 2017 · While the economic toll will never be fully known, images and anecdotes suggest the enormity of the property losses, and the personal suffering ...
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[PDF] Executive Order 9066 - National Archives
was not conducive to any rational approach to military problems such as sabotage or espionage. General DeWitt appears not to have consulted the intelligence.
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California Fool's Gold — Exploring Terminal Island - Eric Brightwell
Dec 16, 2014 · Terminal Island is a largely-artificial island located in Los Angeles County and divided between the Los Angeles neighborhood of San Pedro and the city of Long ...Missing: geography | Show results with:geography
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A Paradise Lost, Never Forgotten : For decades, Terminal Island ...
Jan 5, 1994 · By the 1910s, dredging and landfill projects ruined the beaches and scared off the tourists. They were replaced by immigrants who became ...
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Postwar Industrial and Economic Growth 1946 – 1999
After World War 2 harbor officials focused on 3 key factors to expand growth: 1946: Tuna Canning Industry in LA Harbor Largest in the World.
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Location, History and Economy | California Fishing Port Profiles
As sardine, mackerel and tuna harvests diminished, San Pedro and Terminal Island's fishing industry went into decline. By the 1970s and 80s most of Fish ...
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DocSunday at LAHIFF: From Fish Harbor to World War II -
Mar 7, 2024 · “According to most of the people I spoke with, the decline of the fishing industry was more economic. It was the fact that you could ...
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History | About - Port of Los Angeles
Providing a better solution, the containerized cargo revolution came to the Port in the late 1950s. Containers can easily be loaded, sealed and shipped on ...
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Brief History of the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach - PBS SoCal
Jan 24, 2014 · In 1960, POLA launched a five-year, $37 million development project, to construct fifteen berths and five new cargo terminals; a second $14 ...
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Melancholy Memories of the Terminal Island We've Lost - PBS SoCal
Dec 1, 2022 · The socially and historically complex Terminal Island has become a mono-culture of standardized, containerized commerce.<|separator|>
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Terminal Island in the Port of Los Angeles - Fenix Marine Services
The Fenix Terminal is on Terminal Island in the Port of Los Angeles. It is one of the largest in North America, spanning nearly 300 acres.
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Everport Container Terminal - Port of Los Angeles
Terminal located at the Port of Los Angeles on Terminal Island, is the first terminal to procure the world's first zero-emissions electric tophandlers.
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About APM Terminals Pacific LLC - Port of Los Angeles
APMT has been a Port of Los Angeles tenant since 2002. Berths 401-406 2500 Navy Way Terminal Island, CA 90731 (310) 221-4100 · APMT Website. Terminal Features.
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Facts and Figures | Statistics | Port of Los Angeles
The Port's Facts & Figures card provides at-a-glance statistics based on data for Calendar Year 2024 and Fiscal Year 2023/24 (July 1, 2023-June 30, 2024).Missing: Island | Show results with:Island
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Los Angeles, the busiest US container port, plans even bigger future
Jan 27, 2025 · The busiest US maritime trade hub moved 10.3 million container units in 2024, a record 1.7 million TEUs or nearly 20% higher than a year ago.
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Hydrogen Fuel Cell Cranes at the Port of Los Angeles
Jul 11, 2024 · The Port of Los Angeles has launched the H2-ZE RTG, a port crane powered by hydrogen fuel cells, eliminating emissions and improving air ...
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Port of Los Angeles: Off-Road Heavy Duty Equipment and ... - EPA
Apr 28, 2025 · The new electric crane is the port complex's first electric mobile ship-loading crane for non-container cargo, an important step in the port's goal of becoming ...Missing: Terminal Island
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Navigating the Challenges of Port Electrification: A Look at LA ...
May 28, 2025 · The Port of Los Angeles, for example, received a $412 million grant for electrifying cargo-handling equipment and is investing heavily in grid ...
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Fishing Profile: Commercial and Recreational Fisheries
More recently, from 2017-2021 market squid and highly migratory species combined to be San Pedro's top fisheries in terms ex-vessel value (70% of port total) ...
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[PDF] Terminal Island Land Use Plan – Commercial Fisheries Sector
Feb 28, 2011 · Terminal Island has a long history of commercial fishing, and is still an important region of the Port of Los Angeles for this activity in ...<|separator|>
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San Pedro | California Fishing Port Profiles
The number of commercial fishing licenses associated with the port has decreased from 317 in 2000 to 112 in 2021. Currently, market squid is the port's primary ...Missing: statistics | Show results with:statistics
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[PDF] FOR INFORMATION ONLY - The Port of Los Angeles
Jan 16, 2020 · Port of Los Angeles were about 35.3 million pounds per year with an average value of $17.3 million, or approximately $0.49 per pound.Missing: statistics | Show results with:statistics
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California Market Squid | NOAA Fisheries
U.S. wild-caught California market squid is a smart seafood choice because it is sustainably managed and responsibly harvested under U.S. regulations.
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[PDF] Market Squid Fishery Management Plan
The market squid (Loligo opalescens) fishery is one of the most important in the State of. California in terms of landings and revenue. The fishery generates ...
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Market Squid Enhanced Status Report - CA Marine Species Portal
The CPS fishery includes market squid and four finfish species (Pacific sardine, Pacific mackerel, northern anchovy, and jack mackerel) as a fishery management ...
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[PDF] MONTHLY SQUID REPORT
The average ex-vessel price was $700/short ton. ($772/metric ton). Observed incidental catch included Pacific sardine, unidentified sanddab, and kelp. San Pedro ...
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California Market Squid Fishery - Facebook
65 squid fishermen from Ventura had been on strike for nine days because they want to get paid $50 more per ton of squid.
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San Pedro - Naval History and Heritage Command
Jan 21, 2022 · The San Pedro port had 600–700 acres of anchorage space, some of which was 40 feet deep. The Army Corps of Engineers had dredged the Los Angeles ...Missing: geography | Show results with:geography
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FCI Terminal Island - BOP
Feb 19, 2025 · FCI Terminal Island. A low security federal correctional institution. PhoneDirectionsE-mail. Visiting Information. Visiting Overview.
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[PDF] FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION TERMINAL ISLAND - BOP
The median sentence length for inmates at the facility is 87 months. The staff complement at FCI Terminal Island is 269.Missing: capacity | Show results with:capacity
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Reducing Recidivism by Strengthening the Federal Bureau of Prisons
Research shows that inmates who worked in prison industries were 24 percent less likely to recidivate and 14 percent more likely to be gainfully employed after ...Missing: FCI Terminal Island escapes
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[PDF] Federal Prisoner Statistics Collected under the First Step Act, 2024
Dec 31, 2024 · The capacity of each recidivism reduction program and productive activity to accommodate eligible inmates at each Bureau of Prisons facility.Missing: staffing | Show results with:staffing
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[PDF] OVERSIGHT OF THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF PRISONS AND THE ...
Dec 2, 2020 · sent to you, I visited Terminal Island in San Pedro, California. I ... escapes, and our recidivism rate is lower than that found in most studies ...
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The Vincent Thomas Bridge - Los Angeles Almanac
Type: Suspension Opened: November 15, 1963. Cost: $21 million (valued $211 million in 2024) Length: 6,050 feet (1.1 miles or 1,844 meters)
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Vincent Thomas Bridge - Los Angeles - Water and Power Associates
Its longest span is 1,500 feet, and the clearance below is 185 feet. ... Construction of the bridge required: 14,100 tons of steel; 1,270 tons of suspension cable ...
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Vincent Thomas Bridge | Long Beach, CA | Taylor Devices, Inc.
This bridge was constructed in 1963 and needed a seismic retrofit following the 1994 Northridge Earthquake. As part of the retrofit solution, 40 dampers ...
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Seismic Retrofit of Vincent Thomas Suspension Bridge
The Vincent Thomas Bridge in Los Angeles, California, is a major suspension bridge with a total length of 1848 m (6,060 ft), including approaches, ...
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SEISMIC RETROFIT OF VINCENT THOMAS SUSPENSION BRIDGE
The bridge, built in the 1960s, used the seismic codes of the time. The site conditions and tall, slender towers and bents have resulted in vulnerabilities that ...
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New Gerald Desmond Bridge to Open October 5 | Urbanize LA
Sep 28, 2020 · ... cable-stayed bridge is scheduled to open to the public on October 5. Spanning nearly two miles between Terminal Island and Long Beach, the ...Missing: details | Show results with:details
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Gerald Desmond Bridge Nears Completion | 2019-06-12
Jun 12, 2019 · The new bridge will have a 205-ft vertical clearance, making it high enough to accommodate supersized vessels that can carry up to 9,000 ...
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Seismic Dampers Protect the Towers & Main Span
Among the high-tech features of the new bridge are the tower dampers that would keep the main span road deck from knocking into the towers in both directions ( ...
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Port of Long Beach - Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement Project
The bridge includes German-designed joints at each end of the main span that moves up to six feet in three directions during a very strong earthquake. These ...
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Long Beach International Gateway Bridge - HNTB
The bridge is designed to remain elastic under 1000-year seismic event, and large movement expansion joints at each end of the bridge's main span will allow it ...
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[PDF] Vincent Thomas Bridge Deck Replacement Project EIR/EA - Caltrans
Oct 1, 2024 · Caltrans is proposing to replace the deteriorated bridge deck, upgrade seismic sensors, and improve the existing median barrier and railings on ...Missing: facts | Show results with:facts
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Terminal Island - Preserving California's Japantowns
Terminal Island was a Japanese fishing village with a unique culture, unique fishing techniques, and a business center on Tuna Street.
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Last Remaining Buildings of Terminal Island's Japanese American ...
Aug 20, 2025 · Residents were ordered to leave, their homes were demolished, and the Navy repurposed the island for the war effort. “In 1942, 125,000 ...Missing: military fortification
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Historic Japanese village buildings on Terminal Island to see fresh ...
Aug 28, 2025 · The village, through innovations and hard work, helped establish the tuna industry as a cornerstone that put San Pedro on the fishing map.
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How the Japanese on Terminal Island near LA created community
May 7, 2024 · This is part of our ongoing series, Lost Kinjo- a look at the more than 40 Japanese communities that disappeared after World War II.
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The Fight to Preserve a Precious Legacy - Pacific Citizen
May 7, 2025 · The Terminal Islanders Association was formed in 1971 to preserve the unique cultural legacy of the fishing village.
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Terminal Island: Lost Communities on America's Edge - Amazon.com
Terminal Island tells the story of a small island in LA harbor, once a resort, then a Japanese community, destroyed during WWII.
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Terminal Island - Angel City Press at Los Angeles Public Library
Terminal Island tells the story of a community in Los Angeles Harbor, including Japanese families, that was destroyed during WWII, and its ultimate destruction ...
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Terminal Island: Lost Communities on America's Edge - Google Books
Mar 19, 2024 · Terminal Island traces the history of a sheltered spot in the Pacific Ocean that once served as a resort for wealthy Southern California landowners.
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Terminal Island: The Rise and Removal of a Japanese Community
and their forced removal during World War II. Purchase her book from Angel City ...Missing: 1890s- 1940
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Furusato: The Lost Japanese Fishing Village Between Los Angeles ...
Jun 19, 2018 · At dawn, fisherman launched their ships from Terminal Island and flung their nets into a blue surface teeming with sea life. Other men used a ...Missing: depth meters spy
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Terminal Island (1973) - IMDb
Rating 5.3/10 (1,740) After the abolishment of the death penalty, California murderers are dumped on an island to spend the rest of their lives unsupervised.Terminal Island · Parents guide · Phyllis Davis(1940-2013) · Barbara LeighMissing: representations documentaries books<|separator|>
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Terminal Island (film) - Wikipedia
Terminal Island, released theatrically in the UK as Knuckle Men, is a 1973 American action–drama thriller film directed by Stephanie Rothman.
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Oral History Interview with Elva Bell / Shiro and Mary Nomura
Beautiful, you know, Terminal Island was considered a rich. ... They had the best of everything because they were a fishing community, and they used to make good ...
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The L.A. island that was home to seven decades of 'lost communities'
Apr 9, 2024 · Terminal Island may be best known for the Japanese American village tragically uprooted by government order. A new book mines its history as that.
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Terminal Island 'Furusato' Tuna Street Buildings - LA Conservancy
These two buildings are the last vestige of a Japanese fishing village and commercial district that thrived on Terminal Island before World War II.Missing: campaign | Show results with:campaign
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L.A.'s Terminal Island buildings listed among America's 11 most ...
May 7, 2025 · The Port of Los Angeles is reportedly considering demolishing the vacant and deteriorating buildings to make room for more container storage.
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McOsker Moves to Designate the Last Remaining Historic Japanese ...
Feb 12, 2025 · ... Terminal Island as City Historic-Cultural Monuments ... last standing links to a once-thriving fishing village. They serve ...
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[PDF] Five Year Capital expenditure Plan Fiscal Year 25/26 to 29/30
Aug 17, 2025 · New Fiber Optic Line - Port of Los Angeles Harbor ... Tuna Street Buildings Demolition (2580500). 09/30/25. 02/27/26. 97,478.Missing: economic impact
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[PDF] terminal island “furusato” tuna street buildings
May 28, 2025 · The Terminal Island “Furusato” Tuna Street Buildings are two commercial buildings located on the southeast corner of Cannery Street and Tuna ...
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Proposed Pier 500 Marine Container Terminal ... - Port of Los Angeles
Oct 1, 2025 · As proposed, Pier 500 would be a 200-acre site with two new berths and approximately 3,000 linear feet of new available wharf. Located in ...
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Busiest U.S. port plans new container terminal for biggest ships
The Pier 500 project would comprise two berths and 3,000 feet of wharf on 200 acres of land along the Pier 400 channel, on the southern end of ...
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Port of LA seeks developers for new terminal expansion
Oct 10, 2025 · The proposed Pier 500 Marine Container Terminal Project is expected to increase the port's cargo handling capacity, create jobs and improve the ...
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https://www.maritimegateway.com/port-of-los-angeles-unveils-pier-500-container-terminal-project/
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Port of Los Angeles unveils pier 500 container terminal project
Oct 6, 2025 · Envisioned as a state-of-the-art, 200-acre facility, Pier 500 will feature two modern berths and about 3,000 feet of wharf space, strategically ...
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Pre-Development Agreement Marine Container Terminal Pier 500
The project requires the proposer to have experience in developing and operating marine container terminals. • The proposer must be able to demonstrate ...
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Port of Los Angeles Releases Draft Environmental Impact Report for ...
Sep 15, 2025 · The Port of Los Angeles has released a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the proposed Terminal Island Maritime Support Facility ...Missing: dredging spoil
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Terminal Island Maritime Support Facility Project - CEQAnet - CA.gov
The Project would construct and install office trailers, maintenance and repair facilities, chassis stalls, and appurtenant water and electrical infrastructure.
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Port of Los Angeles seeks feedback on support facility plan
Sep 16, 2025 · The Port of Los Angeles has released a DEIR for the proposed Terminal Island Maritime Support Facility Project, situated at 740 Terminal Way.
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LA port starts next phase of Terminal Island facility expansion plan
Sep 25, 2025 · The proposed Terminal Island Maritime Support Facility would be built on about 89 acres at 740 Terminal Way on Terminal Island. The site is ...Missing: statistics | Show results with:statistics
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Port of Los Angeles issues draft environmental report for Terminal ...
Sep 16, 2025 · The project would cover approximately 89 acres within the Port complex and include the development and operation of a chassis support facility.
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The fight to save last of L.A.'s historic Japanese fishing village
Aug 22, 2024 · ... Japanese fishing village on Terminal Island ... cannery workers responsible for stocking places such as StarKist Tuna and Van Camp Seafood.
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Terminal Island's Japanese American residents rally to save its last ...
May 9, 2025 · After bulldozing an entire Japanese American village during WWII, San Pedro is about to destroy the only two buildings that survived – unless preservationists ...Missing: Bay dredging spoil mudflats
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Historic Status Secured for Last Buildings of Terminal Island's ...
Aug 25, 2025 · Before World War II, Terminal Island was home to more than 3,000 Japanese Americans and featured a lively commercial district centered on Tuna ...Missing: pre- | Show results with:pre-
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LA council designates Terminal Island historic buildings as city ...
Aug 28, 2025 · The Terminal Island community became one of the first in the nation to be forcibly removed and relocated to concentration camps. It is believed ...Missing: preservation development
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CD15 Policy Update On ICE Staging Grounds on Terminal Island -
Sep 2, 2025 · It has been well documented that federal immigration enforcement agents are using the Coast Guard base on Terminal Island as a staging ...
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What I learned patrolling for ICE in Terminal Island - LA Public Press
Jul 17, 2025 · The same federal facility that detained Japanese Americans in 1942 is now the staging ground for immigration raids across Los Angeles.
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Ice activity on historic Japanese site evokes painful legacy of ...
Jul 16, 2025 · Descendants of Terminal Island's Japanese community see parallels between the second world war and Ice raids today.Missing: post- roles
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ICE is using Terminal Island as staging area, community groups say
Jun 27, 2025 · US Immigration and Customs Enforcement is using a portion of Terminal Island to stage raids in the South Bay and across Los Angeles County.
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Citizens are tracking ICE in real time to warn migrants. Is that legal?
Sep 5, 2025 · From California to New York, activists are using apps to track ICE raids · Legal experts say the surveillance is lawful - so long as activists ...
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The Volunteers Tracking ICE in Los Angeles | The New Yorker
Oct 7, 2025 · Some vehicles logged at Terminal Island by the group have been spotted as far away as Ventura, and even Sacramento. Once a license plate has ...
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https://www.janm.org/press/release/janm-concerned-about-reports-ices-presence-terminal-island
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JANM is Concerned about Reports of ICE's Presence on Terminal ...
“JANM is gravely concerned about reports of ICE presence on Terminal Island—an act that chillingly echoes the shameful forced removal of ...
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JA and Local Community Leaders Condemn ICE Staging on ...
Jul 11, 2025 · “Terminal Island was once a vibrant community from the 1800s until World War II, at one point reaching 3,000 Japanese immigrants. While the ...Missing: roles | Show results with:roles
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Historic Japanese American community is being used by ICE
Jul 17, 2025 · Many Japanese Americans imprisoned in incarceration camps are calling for ICE to get off of Terminal Island. The Los Angeles County island ...
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Immigration Enforcement Use of Terminal Island Press Conference ...
Jul 11, 2025 · ... Terminal Island as a staging ground. #CouncilmemberTimMcOsker #LACityCouncilPresidentMarqueeceHarrisDawson #CityOfLA Follow LA CityView35 on ...Missing: raids | Show results with:raids
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Harbor-area leaders call for end of ICE use of Terminal Island
Jul 15, 2025 · Terminal Island residents were the first Japanese Americans on the West Coast to be forcibly removed from their homes, according to reports at ...
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LA harbor commission expresses concerns over ICE activity on ...
Jul 17, 2025 · The Los Angeles harbor commission expressed concerns about federal immigration activities on areas of Terminal Island during the panel's Thursday, July 17, ...Missing: criticisms | Show results with:criticisms
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LAist: ICE sweeps spur citizen patrols on Terminal Island
Jul 26, 2025 · Terminal Island is best known for housing shipyards, warehouses and the remnants of a Japanese American fishing village demolished during WWII.