Dear Andy;-
   I grew up in SF. We used to go fishing every Sunday off that curved Muni pier. We caught dozens every week. Smelt, anchovie, perch.  Some people caught White Sea Bass and other exotics as well.
   But the bay has become so poluted, that few people bother to fish there anymore. The crabbers and shrimpers have to get farther and farther from the bay's opening. I would imagine that stricter policeing by (who) the Coast Guard might make a long term difference for the better.
   It will be up to the San Franciscans to take an interest.
    Art
>
> From: Andy Rindsberg <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: 2004/02/02 Mon PM 01:11:17 EST
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: San Francisco Bay
>
> Here's a question for Conchlers who are familiar with shelling in California
> bays. I've read that incoming ships often dispose of their ballast water too
> close to shore -- it's illegal but they usually don't get caught. This
> releases large numbers of foreign larvae into the local bays, some of which
> have become dominant locally. This is an intriguing phenomenon and it makes
> me wonder:
>
> 1. Do all the bays end up with the same dominant introduced species of
> mollusks, or does every bay end up with a different mix?
>
> 2. Are the smaller, less showy species being replaced as quickly as the
> larger ones?
>
> 3. Is the molluscan fauna of smaller, less trafficked bays, like Mugu Lagoon
> or Elkhorn Slough, changing as much as that of large bays like San Francisco
> Bay?
>
> The answers could have a good deal of ecologic signficance, and might also
> suggest future trends. I realize that most Conchlers are more interested in
> collecting in clear Florida water than in bay mud, but maybe someone out
> there knows a thing or two!
>
> Andrew K. Rindsberg
> Geological Survey of Alabama
>
>

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