Cannery Row was the setting for several novels by John Steinbeck.
The cannery failed after the collapse of the fishing industry in the Monterey Bay in the mid-1950s. Before the collapse this fishery was one of the most productive in the world due to the upwelling of cold, yet nutrient-rich water from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean which is funneled to the surface via the vast underwater Monterey Canyon.
Today the area around Cannery Row is a marine sanctuary and is home to a large resurgent population of California sea lions.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is located along Cannery Row.