A bit of Ocean Fresh History
Where the great redwood forests of Northern California march to the sea,
Noyo Harbor has grown from an 1850's lumber port to a modern-day fishing
village serving more than 200 commercial boats. It was here in 1985 that
sea urchins became recognized as a valuable economic resource for the
Northern California fishing industry. In that year, Ocean Fresh
Seafood Products was first established in Noyo Harbor. Today,
Ocean Fresh Seafood Products is the dominant sea urchin
producer in the area. The company was started by two brothers, Robert S.
Juntz and Vernon Blake Juntz, who had been successful sea urchin divers in
Southern California. Moving to the North Coast in 1985, they quickly saw
the advantage of opening a sea urchin processing plant in Noyo Harbor to
pack and air-freight fresh uni for the Japanese market. Six years
later they acquired a major competitor, forming Marusan Enterprises,
Incorporated. The company is poised for new growth in production,
processing and marketing.
The company, solidly capitalized and tightly organized, is exploring
practical possibilities - from "farming" sea urchin stock in ocean pens to
uncovering new markets along the Pacific Rim.
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