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Cannery Row is a now defunct fish canning factory in the center of Monterey, California off of California State Route 1.
Cannery Row was the setting of John Steinbeck's novels Cannery Row (1945) and Sweet Thursday (1954). The former was the basis for the 1982 movie Cannery Row, starring Nick Nolte and Debra Winger.
Pacific Biological Laboratories, a biological supply house, was located at 800 Cannery Row from 1928 to 1948 and operated by Edward F. Ricketts, who is said to resemble the character "Doc" in the Steinbeck novels.
The cannery failed after the collapse of the fishing industry in the Monterey Bay in the mid-1950s. Before the collapse this fishery was one of the most productive in the world due to the upwelling of cold, yet nutrient-rich water from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean which is funneled to the surface via the vast underwater Monterey Canyon.
Today the area around Cannery Row is a marine sanctuary and is home to a large resurgent population of California sea lions.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is located along Cannery Row.
It is now more of a tourist attraction with many restaurants and a few historical attractions. A few privately owned and operated fishing companies still exist on Cannery Row, housed on piers located a short distance from the historic district frequented by tourists. In recent years, Cannery Row has become increasingly popular among sport fisherman due to extensive public fishing facilities (sinks, countertops, ice, docking).
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