Guests dining at the Omelet Inn, in Long Beach, a popular breakfast spot for locals and boaters, receive more than a tasty meal when they step through the restaurant’s doors. Photos of hardy fishermen aboard tuna boats remind patrons of Southern California’s legendary tuna industry that once dominated local ports.
The restaurant’s owners, Alma and Jose Anguiano, struck a deal with local entrepreneur and maritime enthusiast Luis Pinel last year, approving his idea to open The Tuna Museum here.
“I figured Long Beach and boating just go together,†said Alma Anguiano, co-owner of the restaurant that has operated in the city for 26 years. The couple has owned it for eight years.
The museum has fascinated her customers, many of whom are liveaboard boaters. On the busiest days, diners weave their way between tables to examine photos that line the restaurant walls and ship models that are placed throughout the area.
Everything — from the fishnets and photos to vessel replicas, old fishing licenses and a diving suit — is part of Pinel’s personal collection that he started 45 years ago.
“The tuna industry is very fascinating, but you don’t hear a lot about it because it disappeared,†said Pinel, founder of The Tuna Museum.
The Long Beach resident’s interest in the industry is tied to his family’s involvement in the once-booming cannery fishing operations. His grandfather dove for pearls from Panama to Costa Rica, and his father was a tuna fisherman for Van Camp cannery in San Diego.
The entrepreneur spent the past six years searching for the perfect property in which to display his life’s collection. When the Omelet Inn relocated to a larger building on Pine Street, Pinel, president of the Latino Entrepreneurial Association, came up with the idea of a multi-use facility.
Images of a bygone era adorn the walls from top to bottom, depicting fleets from Costa Rica, San Pedro, San Diego and other fisheries.
And that is only on the first floor.
On the second floor, visitors enter what Pinel has labeled the “tuna room.â€
Photographs, fishing nets, a diving suit, fishing licenses and maps decorate the walls of the room. It also serves as a conference area where committees meet and discuss maritime business.
