4 CALIFORXIA FISH AXD OAMK 



Kose Creek enters llic bay tlirou<zli IIh- mutliciii injirsli. Tliis 

 stream cai'iMos -watei- only (liiriii<:' Ilic wet season. 



Teeolote Valley drains some water into tlie bay during rainstorms. 



Pollution 



There is very little ]iossibility of any i)ollution which would liurt 

 fishinji' in Mission IJay. Tiie sewa<i-e from the dwell in<is alon<r the bay 

 shore eould have no effect on a body of water of this size. The only 

 industrial plant tliat could possibly contaminate the bay is the Cudahy 

 Packing Company, a slaughterhouse near the marsh ;i1 the southeast 

 corner of the ba.w ^laximum contamination from this plant would be 

 unimi)ortant. In this area a rather odoi'ous sewer empties into Hardy's 

 Slough. (See map.) It will not bother fishing in the least and is three- 

 quarters of a mile from any place that is vxvr likely to be used for 

 swimming or picnicking. 



Waters of Mission Bay 



Crown Point and the highway south of it divide ]\Ii.ssion Bay into 

 two distinct sections. The western one is more built up, has many 

 small Avharves i)rojecting into it, and has had a good deal of dredging 

 done in places. The inner or eastern section is larger and is much 

 more nearly in the wdld state. It is infinitely more interesting from a 

 naturalist's point of view. 



The entire bay is very shallow and most of the bottom is of sandy 

 mud. There are many large areas of eel grass. In the parts of the 

 bay farthest from the entrance there are level mud flats ; a little nearer 

 the mouth the tide is stronger and has cut shallow channels and filled 

 in shoals. These channels join, become deeper and more sharply 

 separated from the Hats. The curi-ent in the larger channels is sti'ong 

 but flows smoothly until within about half a mile of the ocean. In this 

 last stretch there is a violent boiling and swirling which keei)s the water 

 full of sand and makes steering a boat difficult. 



The entrance is about 250 yards wide. The main channel, from 

 the entrance to a half mile east of the San Diego River mouth, is from 

 7 to 10 feet deep, not considering occasional deep holes. One such hole 

 just east of the river mouth is 19 feet deep in places, and there may 

 be others which are even deei)er. ^Most of the larger branch channels 

 are from 3 to 6 feet deep with occasional holes up to 10 feet or more. 

 All these depths are at mean lower low water, i.e., zero tide. There is 

 plenty of water in the channels to float a skiff at any stage of the tide. 

 On a fairly calm winter afternoon when there is a minus tide, the 

 channels of the eastern bay are as interesting a spot as any nature lover 

 can imagine. ]\Iost of the sea life is uncovered; a great deal of the 

 part that is not, can be seen on the bottom. Sharks, skates, rays and 

 true fishes dash hurriedly out of the way and on all sides there are 

 thousands of shore birds feeding and calling noisily. Gulls, pelicans 

 and duclvs also abound. The ducks are still wary and hard to 

 approach — the area has not been closed to linnting long enough for 

 them to learn the refuge it provides. 



In addition to the natural channels there is a narrow dredged 

 stretch which follows the shore of the western section of the bay. At 

 present this channel is about f) feet deep. AVhen the dredging was 



