12 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME 



Dredging 



Only a small ainoniit of dredpinp' could be done to advantafre in 

 Mission Bay. There should be no atteni])t to dred<i'e any extensive areas 

 of mud tlats. No dredped material should be de])osited on the marshes 

 and as little as possible on mud fiats. A channel along the eastern 

 shore Avould attract channcl-lovinp fish to the edp-p of the new hiph-way. 

 The con.struction of such a channel would fit in very well with existing 

 plans. It is proposed to fill in some ground between the highway and 

 the water to protect the road from wave action. The material for this 

 fill could most easily be gotten by dredging. Any such channel should 

 be connected with one of the larger natural channels. 



As previously mentioned, the dredged channel which skirts the 

 western half of the bay has a low dike between it and the mud flats. 

 A few small cuts could be made through the dike to enable fishermen 

 to ffct their boats otf the mud flats and into the channel when the tide 

 is low. 



Constriwtion of New Wharves 



The construction of several wharves would have the twofold 

 result of providing additional places to flsh and of attracting more fish 

 to enter the bay. 



Fishermen would natui-ally be glad to liave more places to fish. 

 Present wharves and bridges were not built primarily for fishing and 

 their location could be better from the anglers' point of view. 



Pier-loving fish are not numerous in ]\Iission Bay. If a few good 

 wharves were built, we believe that salt-water perch, kingfish, queen- 

 fish, and other species would be attracted to enter the western part of 

 the bay. The wharves should be built Avith many piles — either concrete 

 or untreated redwood — so that marine growths such as mussels and 

 barnacles would grow in profusion. These animals harbor other 

 creatures, princi])ally worms, upon which fisli feed. The inducement 

 for "pile-feeding" fish to enter the bay would improve fishing 

 markedly. 



One or two piers could be built not far within the entrance of the 

 bay on the Avest shore. These Avharves should project into the deep 

 channel but should be so located as to be out of the full force of the 

 swiftest current. (Currents and de]iths must be studied carefully before 

 these piers are built. 



A wharf could be built from the eastern shore crossing the ])ro- 

 posed channel and extending i)erhaps a hundred yards across the nnid 

 flats. It should cross the channel at some i)lace where there is enough 

 current to promote the growth of eel grass. (There are more fish in 

 such places.) This would ])robably be near the edge of the southern 

 mai-sh, and there is no reason why the wharf should not cross the tongue 

 of nuirsh which i)ro.iects northward along the edge of the highway. 

 Such a wharf would be of interest not only to fishermen but to nature 

 lovers who like to watch the life among the eel grass and on the mud 

 flats, and could be used by luitui-e study classes. It should not be 

 more than two or three feet above high tide line, except where it crosses 

 the channel where it could be somewhat higher to enable boats to pass 

 under it. 



