Fisherman’s Wharf modernizes as commercial fishing struggles to hold ground

Fisherman’s Wharf is getting dressed up for visitors even as the machinery of a working harbor stays strained. A new public plaza is slated for Taylor Street where Alioto’s Restaurant stands now, but the fuel dock at Hyde Street Harbor remains closed after a 2020 leak and is not expected to reopen until spring 2027.

That gap is at the center of the fight now playing out along the waterfront. The Port’s Fisherman’s Wharf Forward plan promises a modern public space, a new destination and better access to the Inner Lagoon, while also pledging seismic and sea-level-rise protections. Near-term work, scheduled from June 2025 through summer 2026, includes the Taylor Street plaza, an Inner Lagoon overlook along Al Scoma Way, new lighting to showcase the fishing fleet and historic vessels, and more space for events and experiences.

Longer-term work, scheduled from January 2026 through fall 2030, goes deeper into the bones of the wharf. The Port says it could strengthen or replace seawall and wharf structures, flood-proof buildings, improve facilities for the fishing fleet and fishing industry, and add more retail and public-realm upgrades. Public outreach on that plan is set to continue through 2026, with a conceptual long-term plan targeted for fall 2026.

For commercial fishermen, the concern is that the wharf could become performative heritage, polished for tourists who come for crab and seafood but less able to support the boats behind the catch. Sal Alioto and other fishing families tied to the area for generations say the harbor still needs the basics: fuel, ice, docking space and room to move trailers through tourist traffic and even Waymo vehicles. The aging ice machine is still hard to maintain, and the fuel dock remains out of service.

The pressure to modernize is real. ABC7 reported more than 1 million visitors, not counting international guests, came to Fisherman’s Wharf in March alone, and the first of at least three planned community meetings has already been held. Empty storefronts are beginning to fill, with new businesses expected to include Everett and Jones BBQ and Raising Cane’s. A modern floating dock along Al Scoma Way already has expanded off-the-boat fish sales and waterside excursions.

But the harbor’s physical problems are not abstract. Water board records identify Hyde Street Harbor at 482 Jefferson Street as the site of a renewable R-99 diesel fuel leak discovered in 2020 from a pipeline tied to a boat fueling dock. The site had been used for fuel storage and distribution since the mid-1930s, and the Port has owned it since 1969. In November 2025, San Francisco announced a $5 million settlement with Pilot Thomas Logistics and General Petroleum to cover cleanup costs and remaining remediation.

In December 2024, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the Fisherman’s Wharf Revitalized term sheet covering Pier 45 and portions of Seawall Lots 300-301. Former Mayor London Breed called it potentially the most transformative improvement along the northern waterfront since the Embarcadero freeway came down. Whether that transformation preserves a real working waterfront, or merely frames one for visitors, will decide what Fisherman’s Wharf becomes next.