The American Tunaboat Association was established in San Diego in 1951 as a non-profit cooperative association to assist tunaboat owners and crews. The collection includes material documenting the San Diego tuna industry from 1929-1982, and material documenting the work of the American Tunaboat Association from 1951-1982. Includes correspondence, financial records, trip statements and records, ships logs, nautical charts, reports relating to international law and the tuna industry, material documenting the Inter-American Tuna Commission, summaries of United Nations committee meetings on the tuna industry, correspondence, reports and notes relating to the Atlantic Tuna Commission and tunaboat seizures, newspaper clippings and photographs. Includes substantial material documenting the introduction of seining to the tuna industry. It also includes material documenting the lives, working conditions and wages of fishermen and the organization of fishermens unions. Includes some documentation of negotiations between the American fishing industry and Central and South American governments for access to South Eastern Pacific fishing grounds.
