Update on Fish Species by Pier — Overall State

[Ken Jones]

Pier Fish Species — Statewide Piers
(Fish and Game Surveys, Ken Jones catches, PFIC reports, Misc. Reports)​

Ocean Beach Pier (San Diego) — 69
Newport Pier — 68
Balboa Pier (Newport Beach) — 67
Santa Cruz Wharf — 67
Goleta Pier — 66
San Clemente Pier — 63
Oceanside Pier — 62
Berkeley Pier — 61
Hermosa Beach Pier — 60

Seal Beach Pier —59
Imperial Beach Pier — 57
Berkeley Pier — 57
Belmont Pier (Long Beach) — 56
Capitola Wharf — 56
Cabrillo Beach Pier (San Pedro) — 54
Crystal Pier (San Diego) — 52
Huntington Beach Pier — 52
Santa Monica Pier — 51
Stearns Wharf (Santa Barbara) — 51
San Francisco Muni Pier — 50

Redondo Beach Pier — 49
Redondo Sportfishing Pier — 48
Pacifica Pier — 48
Shelter Island Pier (San Diego) — 47
Manhattan Beach Pier — 46
Ventura Pier — 46
Gaviota Pier — 44
Monterey Wharf #2 — 45
Venice Fishing Pier — 44
Cabrillo Mole (Avalon) — 43 — No Fish & Game survey data, just my catch numbers and PFIC Posts
Avila Pier — 43
Port San Luis Pier — 42
Dana Harbor Pier (Dana Point)— 41
Malibu Pier — 41
Cayucos Pier — 40

Ferry Landing Pier (San Diego) —39
Monterey Coast Guard Pier — 36
Morro Bay, North T-Pier — 34
Seacliff State Beach Pier — 34
Trinidad Pier — 33
Morro Bay South T-Pier — 32 — No DF&G survey numbers, just my personal catch numbers & PFIC posts
Elephant Rock Pier (Tiburon) — 32
Green Pleasure Pier/Avalon —30 — No Fish & Game survey data, just my catch numbers and PFIC Posts
Long Beach Finger Piers — 30
Pismo Beach Pier — 30
Fort Baker Pier (Sausalito) — 30+
Citizen’s Dock — Crescent City — 30


Embarcadero Marina Pier (San Diego — 28
Port Hueneme Pier — 28
Oceanside Harbor Pier — 27
Paradise Cove Pier (Malibu) — 27
Fort Point Pier (San Francisco) — 25

San Simeon Pier — 24
Ferry Point Pier (Richmond) — 24
Agua Vista Pier (San Francisco) — 22
Candlestick Point Park Pier (San Francisco) — 21
B Street Pier (Crescent City) — 21
Oyster Point Pier (So. San Francisco)— 20

Paradise Park Pier (Tiburon)— 19
Point Pinole Pier — 18
Point Arena Pier — 18
Fort Mason Piers (San Francisco) — 16
Port View Park Pier (Oakland)— 16
McNear Park Pier (San Rafael)— 16
Bayside Park Pier (Chula Vista) — 15
Dumbarton Pier (Fremont)— 15
Pier 7 (San Francisco)— 15
Fruitvale Pier (Oakland) — 12
Commercial Street Dock (Eureka) — 12 (KJ)
Brisbane Pier — 11
Angel Island Pier — 11
Del Norte St. Pier (Eureka) — 11

Pepper Park Pier (National City) — 9
San Antonio Pier (Oakland) — 9
Spud Point (Bodega Bay) — 9
Pier J Pier(s) (Long Beach) — 7 (New, need more reports)
Eureka Boardwalk — 7 (KJ)
South Harbor Marina Pier (San Francisco) — 6
Heron’s Head Pier (San Francisco) — 6
Robert Wooley Pier (Burlingame) — 6
Adorni Pier (Eureka) — 6 (KJ)

Redwood City Pier — 5
Lawson’s Landing (Dillon Beach) — 3
Emeryville Marina Pier — 2

 

[Red Fish]

Pier Fish Species — Top Piers
(Fish and Game Surveys, Ken Jones catches, PFIC reports, Misc. Reports)​

Goleta Pier — 66
Newport Pier — 64
Imperial Beach Pier — 57
Berkeley Pier — 57
Oceanside Pier — 56
Hermosa Beach Pier — 55
Cabrillo Beach Pier (San Pedro) — 54
Santa Cruz Wharf — 54
Capitola Wharf — 54
Ocean Beach Pier (San Diego)— 52

Seal Beach Pier —50
San Clemente Pier — 48
Balboa Pier (Newport Beach) — 48
Santa Monica Pier — 48
Huntington Beach Pier — 47
Crystal Pier (San Diego) — 46
Redondo Sportfishing Pier — 46
Ventura Pier — 46
Pacifica Pier — 46
Shelter Island Pier (San Diego) — 45
Stearns Wharf (Santa Barbara) — 45

Venice Fishing Pier — 44
Gaviota Pier — 44
Cabrillo Mole (Avalon) — 43 — No Fish & Game survey data, just my catch numbers and PFIC Posts
Belmont Pier (Long Beach) — 42
Port San Luis Pier — 42
Malibu Pier — 41
Redondo Beach Pier — 41
Cayucos Pier — 40
Ferry Landing Pier (San Diego) —39
Manhattan Beach Pier — 39

Monterey Wharf #2 — 38
Dana Harbor Pier (Dana Point)— 37
Avila Pier — 37
Monterey Coast Guard Pier — 36
Morro Bay, North T-Pier — 34
Seacliff State Beach Pier — 34
Morro Bay South T-Pier — 32 — No DF&G survey numbers, just my personal catch numbers & PFIC posts
Elephant Rock Pier (Tiburon) — 32
Long Beach Finger Piers — 30
Pismo Beach Pier — 30
Fort Baker Pier (Sausalito) — 30+
Citizen’s Dock — Crescent City — 30

Green Pleasure Pier/Avalon — 29 — No Fish & Game survey data, just my catch numbers and PFIC Posts
Port Hueneme Pier — 28
Oceanside Harbor Pier — 27
Paradise Cove Pier (Malibu) — 27
San Francisco Muni Pier — 27
Fort Point Pier (San Francisco) — 25
San Simeon Pier — 24
Ferry Point Pier (Richmond) — 24
Trinidad Pier — 23

Candlestick Point Park Pier (San Francisco) — 21
B Street Pier (Crescent City) — 21
Paradise Park Pier (Tiburon)— 19
Point Pinole Pier — 18
Point Arena Pier — 18
Oyster Point Pier (So. San Francisco) — 16
Fort Mason Piers (San Francisco) — 16
Port View Park Pier (Oakland)— 16
McNear Park Pier (San Rafael)— 16
Bayside Park Pier (Chula Vista) — 15
Dumbarton Pier (Fremont)— 15
Pier 7 (San Francisco)— 15

Agua Vista Pier (San Francisco) — 14
Fruitvale Pier (Oakland) — 12
Commercial Street Dock (Eureka) — 12 (KJ)
Brisbane Pier — 11
Del Norte St. Pier (Eureka) — 11
San Antonio Pier (Oakland) — 9
Spud Point (Bodega Bay) — 9
Pepper Park Pier (National City) — 8
Eureka Boardwalk — 7 (KJ)
South Harbor Marina Pier (San Francisco) — 6
Heron’s Head Pier (San Francisco) — 6
Robert Wooley Pier (Burlingame) — 6
Adorni Pier (Eureka) — 6 (KJ)

Redwood City Pier — 5
Pier J Pier(s) (Long Beach) — 4
Lawson’s Landing (Dillon Beach) — 3
Emeryville Marina Pier — 2

Ken, can you explain this data? What do the #'s represent as far as the Top Piers?

 

[Sulla]

Ken, can you explain this data? What do the #'s represent as far as the Top Piers?

I think the number assigned to each pier is the number of different species that were caught on the pier according to the fish and game surveys. So for example the top pier Goleta caught 66 different species while emmeryville pier only caught 2 different species. What I’d like to know is in what time frame did these surveys occur? In a calendar year period?

 

[Ken Jones]

The figures represent totals from Fish & Game surveys, most done in the early 2000s, additional species from my own records, PFIC reports, and, in some cases, outside reports. I would think that the number of species reported would be higher for every pier, but especially higher for piers that see few reports, i.e., many of the small piers in the Bay Area that were not surveyed and which see few or no reports. In addition, the DF&G surveys apparently saw few if any visits to piers in the evening hours and very few of their reports show catches of sharks or rays which are higher during those hours.

As example, the Fish and Game surveys showed 29 species from the Newport Pier: Pacific mackerel, Pacific sardine, Pacific bonito, Jacksmelt, Topsmelt, White croaker, Barred surfperch, Northern anchovy, Shinerperch, Jack mackerel, Shovelnose guitarfish, Queenfish, Yellowfin croaker, California lizardfish, White seaperch, Spotfin croaker, California corbina, Silver surfperch, Sharpnose seaperch ,Staghorn sculpin, Walleye surfperch, Pacific butterfish, Striped mullet, California halibut, Gray smoothhound, Pacific sanddab, Sargo, Zebra perch, and Fantail sole

My personal records from the pier show an additional 18 species: speckled sanddab, California scorpionfish, California Barracuda, Southern Starry Flounder, Mudsucker or Longjaw Goby, Pacific Hake, Sablefish, Round Stingray, Thornback Ray, Basketweave Cusk-Eel, Longfin Sanddab, Pileperch, Kelp Bass, Calico Rockfish, Olive Rockfish, Bocaccio, Salema, and Bat Ray

PFIC reports add in another 17 species: thresher shark, hammerhead shark, leopard shark, spotted ratfish, electric ray, angel shark, California skate, yellow snake eel, Pacific sanddab, rainbow seaperch, cabezon, finescale triggerfish, moray eel, Cortez bonefish, sarcastic fringehead,
king salmon and silver salmon

Adding together the three totals 29+18+17 yields 64 species.

 

[Ken Jones]

Another example, the Goleta Pier. The DF&G showed 25 species—Shinerperch, Pacific sardine, Walleye surfperch, jacksmelt, sharpnose seaperch, Blackperch, Rainbow Seaperch, Barred Surfperch, Pacific mackerel, Rubberlip Seaperch, White Seaperch, Pacific Bonito, Jack Mackerel, Pile perch, Senorita, Grass rockfish, Pacific staghorn sculpin, Shovelnose guitarfish, White croaker, Calico Surfperch, California corbina, Bat ray, Brown rockfish, Giant kelpfish, Kelp bass

My personal records show an additional 20 species—queenfish, thornback ray, California halibut, California lizardfish, topsmelt, kelp rockfish, bocaccio, cabezon, vermilion rockfish, speckled sanddab, lingcod, bonehead sculpin, calico rockfish, gray smoothhound shark, kelp perch, padded sculpin, gopher rockfish, barred sand bass, onespot fringehead, sheephead

PFIC reports add another 14—white seabass, big skate, silver surfperch, silver salmon, swell shark, mako shark, blue shark, thresher shark, banded guitarfish, 7-gill shark, horn shark, leopard shark, soupfin shark, olive rockfish

Additional sources another 7 — Giant (black) sea bass, Pacific saury, blue rockfish, starry rockfish, striped bass, diamond turbot, great white shark

Adding together the totals 25+ 20+14+7= 66 species.

 

[Ken Jones]

I have updated (above) the statewide numbers.

 

[Ken Jones]

Several revisions.