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Fish
of Ballona
Together
with pollution and overfishing, the destruction of coastal wetlands in
southern California has caused the decline of fish populations in our
offshore waters.
Two WWW sites with information on California marine fish are:
Marine Biology Database of the Delta Project at Caly Poly SLO
A list of some marine organisms at UCLA's Ocean Discovery Center in Santa Monica
The Ballona Wetlands constitute an important habitat for the fish resources of
Santa Monica Bay and for fish which spend their entire lives in estuaries. Except for
Malibu Lagoon, these wetlands are the last remaining site where many of these fish
can find appropriate habitat for spawning or juvenile stages. Restoration of the
Ballona Wetlands should provide a major enhancement of the fish populations of
Santa Monica Bay.
A December, 1995 survey found 15 species of fish in Ballona Creek and the marsh.
33 species have been observed altogether in studies performed since 1980.
Fish at Ballona which spend most of their lives in the brackish water of estuary
channels include species such as the following:
Long-jawed mudsucker (Gillichthys mirabilis)
Shadow goby (Quietula y-cauda)
Arrow goby (Clevelandia ios)
Cheekspot goby (Ilypnus gilberti)
California killifish (Fundulus parvipinnus)
Tidewater goby (Eucyclogobius newberryi) - not present at Ballona
Yellowfin goby (Acanthogobius flavimanus) - not native
Ballona fish which spend their adult lives in nearshore ocean waters, but use
estuaries as breeding grounds or nurseries include examples such as the following:
California halibut (Paralichthys californicus)
Turbot (Hypsopsetta, Pleuronichthys )
Topsmelt (Atherinops affinis)
Staghorn sculpin (Ilypnus gilberti)
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