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Port executive director reports on Crane Cove Park, YMCA opening, salmon closures and shoreline work
Summary
Executive Director Elaine Forbes updated the Port Commission on recent waterfront milestones including the Crane Cove Park ribbon cutting and Dogpatch YMCA opening, the closure of the California commercial salmon season, planned temporary sculpture installations, youth climate leadership programming and a PG&E‑led dredging remediation starting in
Port Executive Director Elaine Forbes reported to commissioners on a range of waterfront items, from community events and stewardship to environmental remediation and climate resilience programs.
Forbes said she joined President Gilman for the ribbon cutting at Crane Cove Park and the opening of the Dogpatch YMCA, noting the YMCA is the first new YMCA built in San Francisco in more than 30 years and framed the park as a civic destination. She announced the Port’s fifth annual Juneteenth on the Waterfront event will occur Saturday, June 7 at the Embarcadero Ferry Terminal Plaza and Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, highlighting local Black‑owned businesses and family activities.
On public art and activation, Forbes said staff have identified more than a dozen potential sculpture sites from Heron's Head Park to Fisherman’s Wharf and are working with a production partner, Building 180, to curate temporary installations for fall site selections and installations. She framed these efforts as part of the Port’s strategy to animate the waterfront and broaden civic engagement.
Forbes delivered difficult news for local commercial fishers: the California commercial salmon season has been fully closed for a third consecutive year. Port staff explained the primary reason given by fisheries managers is low river returns—there is not enough salmon returning to rivers to support normal ocean seasons—which reduces availability in ocean fisheries. Staff said commercial fishers will continue to harvest halibut and sablefish, and that direct boat‑to‑customer sales remain available at some docks.
For resilience and youth engagement, Forbes cited Port participation during San Francisco Climate Week and celebrated the graduation of the inaugural San Francisco Shoreline Leadership Academy, a 15‑week paid program that trained 16 high‑school students in climate resilience topics with support from the Bay Conservation and Development Commission.
Forbes also announced a multiyear environmental cleanup led by PG&E along the northern waterfront addressing legacy sediment contamination stemming from a historic manufactured‑gas plant. Staff said the cleanup will occur across five offshore work areas and take place during in‑water work windows of June through November beginning in 2025; the Regional Water Quality Control Board is requiring remediation to protect wildlife in anticipation of future dredging. Port staff described the work as protective of long‑term Bay ecosystem health and said the Port is coordinating closely with regulators and contractors.
Commissioners thanked Forbes and offered brief comments acknowledging the report. No vote was required on the executive director’s report.
