Certain kinds of fish in the Salton Sea do seem to be in decline but others, such as orange-mouth corvinas, are bountiful. The state Department of Fish and Game has been vigilant in keeping the sea well-stocked and finding species tough enough to survive. Rolla Williams, outdoor writer emeritus for the San Diego Union-Tribune, has been fishing the Salton Sea since the 1950s. He says it is the only body of water in Southern California where even a novice angler is in no danger of being shut out. The water is dark, almost chocolate color, and you think no fish could possibly live there.
Birds are also plentiful, at least for the time being.
Millions of migratory birds from 400 species use the 2,200 marshy acres of the Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge along the Pacific Flyway. Scientists suspected that salinity, selenium and mercury from the Salton Sea had killed the birds. After exhaustive tests, those explanations were ruled out and the cause remains a mystery. Still, bird carcasses, deformed embryos and cracked eggs continue to be found, leading to suspicions that more mass die-offs are possible. Despite the Salton Sea's importance as a bird refuge, its survival has not become a priority with the Sierra Club or Audubon Society.