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The Saraspe Family Business
Your San Diego Fishing Family
Saraspe Seafoods began as a family fishery and seafood distribution company rooted in San Diego’s commercial fishing community. Founded by Tanner Saraspe, the daughter and granddaughter of commercial fishermen, the business was created to make local seafood more visible, traceable, and connected to the people catching it.
Over time, that work has evolved. Today, Saraspe Seafoods serves as the family name behind coastal storytelling, seafood education, community partnerships, and the Local Fish Project, a public benefit initiative focused on strengthening the relationship between fishermen, chefs, educators, and the broader community.
We are no longer just moving seafood from boat to buyer. We are helping carry forward the knowledge, culture, and relationships that keep working waterfronts alive
Our Roots: San Diego Fisheries
Spot prawn, lobster, swordfish, crab, tuna, and seasonal local catch have shaped our family’s work for generations. These fisheries taught us what cannot be learned from a spreadsheet: seasonality, patience, handling, weather, risk, regulation, and respect for the ocean. That lived experience continues to guide our work today.
The Saraspe Family Story
The Saraspe family has been servicing the San Diego area since the early ‘50s. The family’s fleet was established in 1952 when Lauro Saraspe built his first skiff. Unlike the average college student, he fished the early mornings before class and would drive around selling that morning’s catch to restaurants and wholesalers at lunchtime. He was one of the first fishermen in San Diego to supply Chesapeake Fish Co. and Anthony’s Fish Grotto.
The fascination with fishing all started with Lauro, a father to three children, and grandfather to seven. Lauro’s children accompanied him on many of his fishing trips to San Clemente Island, sometimes for weeks at a time. His two daughters, Elizabeth and Alexandra and his son Andy maintain a true love for the ocean that was imprinted at a young age.
Adapting over the years, Lauro Saraspe decided to venture into new fisheries. He transitioned to Spot Prawn fishing in the early 1980s and has been trap fishing for prawn for over 38 years. The Spot Prawn fishery in California is limited to 16 permits making it an extremely regulated limited-entry fishery. Today, Andy holds one of the 16 Spot Prawn permits in all of California.
As a family, we are determined to change the way local products are marketed. In 2015, we shifted our family business from selling straight to distributors and instead built a brand that is geared towards serving the greater community and supporting sustainable food systems. Living in a multi-generational fishing family, we hold onto a tenet that all fishermen know; suffering is temporary, but the pride in our work and gifts of our experiences are long-lasting. As a family fleet of artisanal fishermen we understand the importance of preserving our resources for the next generations to come. It is our goal to make our locally-caught products more accessible for the direct consumer, allowing them to get a taste of real freshness.
