Salton Sea

[highcountry]

The thread about fish in the Great Salt got me thinking. A few weeks ago, I read an article in National Geographic about the Salton Sea, so I looked into it. It is a fascinating body of water, and has been called one of the greatest fisheries in the world. I thought I'd post a few links for anyone interested.

http://www.saltonsea.ca.gov/

http://www.desertusa.com/salton/salton.html

http://www.sungrubbies.com/Photos/SaltonSea.htm

What perspectives do some of you biologists, conservationists, and average fishing bums have on the Salton Sea? Do any of you have any experience with this water?

[Trouty]

Can't believe I lived down there and never went fishing there!!! Looks like a hoot.

Stupid Stupid Stupid!!

[Lonnie]

"Orange mouth corvina have become the chief game fish in the Salton Sea. Corvina can weigh up to 30 pounds and grow to 42 inches..."

That sounds like fun. Time to buy an 8 er 9wt.....

L

[Baiter]

Hmmmm

I continue to get conflicting info. Feast and Famine reports. I may have to check it out this spring.

This is extremeley polluted water as water flows from Mexico into the Salton.

Dan

[Juke]

There is an article on the Salton Sea in the most recent National Geographic. I am sure it can shed some light into the current situation.

[John Bell]

I get down in that area once in a while. I say "lets fish the Salton" They say "But its a sewer"

http://www.saltonseainfo.com/SS101/ss101.html#The%20Smell

[Baiter]

Here is an article I found on the link above. Sounds like the drought hurt the fish population.

Salton Sea: Crucial fish may be on rebound
Tilapia increase good news for sport fishing, however sea-shrinking plan could further stall corvina comeback
By Benjamin Spillman
The Desert Sun
May 31, 2004


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A slight increase in the number of tilapia turning up in the Salton Sea is fueling optimism among seaside locals the lake could rebound from a crash in the fish population.

But the outlook for the fish population, like so many other characteristics of the murky lake, is far from clear.

Although the hearty tilapia appear to be inching toward a comeback, corvina -- the popular sport fish that once drew thousands of anglers to the sea -- are nowhere to be found.

And even if the corvina are to return, a proposal to shrink the sea into a higher quality lake could delay their arrival, according to a biologist tracking fish in the sea.

"I think it is highly unlikely these fish are gone," California Department of Fish and Game biologist Jack Crayon said. "But it is absolutely certain they are out there in extremely low numbers."

In its spring survey the Fish and Game department netted 18 tilapia at 11 locations in April.

Although that’s small for a lake that once produced fish kills that inundated beaches with millions of dead tilapia, it’s an increase from past surveys when the nets didn’t catch any tilapia.

The difference between the numbers on such a large lake is almost statistically insignificant, Crayon said.

But when coupled with reports of small-scale fish kills and sightings of small tilapia in shallow water it offers hope the fishery could eventually rebound, he said.

"We’re paying attention to smaller-scale phenomena," he said.

Abundant tilapia won’t draw many anglers to the sea on their own. But they provide a key source of food for corvina, a silvery fish that can grow larger than 30 pounds and is known for fighting hard once it’s hooked.

"That is the fish that you want," said Ray Garnett, a Salton Sea fishing guide. "If we get the fish back we’ll have the people again."

People aren’t the only ones who benefit from good fishing in the sea.

The Salton Sea is one of North America’s busiest rest stops for migrating birds.

More than 400 species are known to visit or live at the sea.

Among them are fish-eating pelicans.

The sea is home to the threatened brown pelican and also supports as much as 80 percent of the North American white pelican population, said Tim Krantz, director of the Salton Sea Database program at the University of Redlands.

Krantz said white pelicans would have a hard time surviving without the sea because they don’t do well along the ocean.

"They can’t just go down to the Gulf (of California) or the ocean. They are not that kind of pelican," Krantz said. "If we remove the fishing, it is going to have a chain reaction."

Crayon said even if tilapia rebound, it could be years before corvina follow.

That’s if a plan to shrink the sea into a higher quality lake doesn’t delay their return further.

The Salton Sea Authority, a coalition of local governments that act as caretakers to the sea, hopes it can revive the ecology and economy around the sea with a nearly $800 million restoration project.

The plan, which is among a number of ideas before the state to thwart the demise of the lake, calls for an 8-mile embankment to divide the sea and solve two of its most vexing problems, an overload of salt and nutrients.

The embankment would capture water on the north end of the lake leaving the south end as a salt repository and an outlet for nutrients.

But Crayon and Krantz said the transition to a smaller sea could upset the fish population. That’s because changes to the inflow can cause a spike in salinity, which is already about 25 percent higher than in the Pacific Ocean.

Crayon said the Fish and Game department is considering saving corvina, sargo, croaker and tilapia from the sea to preserve a genetic stock of fish that are tolerant to the unique conditions of the desert lake.

Although eventually the shrunken lake could be more stable for fish than the current sea, Krantz said it will be tough for the creatures to endure the dramatic transition.