The Baykeeper boat regularly patrols the Bay for polluters with our experienced volunteer skippers at the helm.
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Green Sturgeon have scales as sharp as knives to protect themselves from predators. The population that spawns in the upper reaches of major Central Valley rivers is unique and rare. After hatching, young fish live and grow in the upper rivers for months to years before migrating quickly through San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean, where they spend most of their lives. They are secretive and rarely seen.
Orca migrate close to the Golden Gate and swim along the coast of California, Oregon, and Washington. They are known as whales but are scientifically classified as dolphins. They differ from other Orca in that these “resident” pods specialize in hunting Chinook Salmon. Because Chinook Salmon populations have dropped in the Bay’s watershed and elsewhere, these resident Orca are starving, and are often unable to support their babies.
Chinook Salmon swim in the Pacific Ocean for up to 4 years before using their sense of smell to find their way back to their home streams. Adult Chinook don’t eat as they swim hundreds of miles upstream from the Pacific Ocean to lay their eggs in the same river where they were born. They change dramatically as they swim from the rivers where they hatch, to the ocean where they live for several years, and back to their home rivers to spawn.Their colors change to match the background of each environment, which helps them hide from predators. And their diet and internal systems must change as young fish swim from fresh water to the ocean’s salty water.
Brown Pelicans were saved from extinction when pesticides like DDT were banned, but these fish-eating birds have not recovered to historic population levels. The Bay’s Brown Pelican populations are harmed by the degradation of the Bay’s fish nursery habitat, including through pollution, the destruction of wetlands, and unsustainable diversion of the rivers that feed the Bay.
Steelhead are the same as Rainbow Trout, except instead of staying in rivers they travel back and forth to the Pacific Ocean. Their bright red color comes from the micro-organisms they feed on in the ocean and is a signal to other Steelhead and Rainbow Trout that they are ready to spawn.
Chinook Salmon don’t eat as they swim hundreds of miles upstream from the Pacific Ocean to lay their eggs in the same river where they were born. They change dramatically as they swim from the rivers where they hatch, to the ocean where they live for several years, and back to their home rivers to spawn. Their colors change to match the background of each environment, which helps them hide from predators. And their diet and internal systems must change as young fish swim from fresh water to the ocean’s salty water. After living in the Pacific Ocean for up to 4 years, they use their sense of smell to find their way back to their home streams.
Sacramento Splittail are born upstream and then migrate to the Bay where they feed on clams that have high levels of toxic selenium from Bay Area oil refineries. Sacramento Splittail that eat these clams develop crooked backbones. Sacramento Splittail are native minnows and are only found in the Bay and its watershed. They spawn on floodplains—land that is temporarily flooded when rivers are running high— and spend most of their lives in slow-moving waters of the Bay and Delta.
Longfin Smelt females can lay up to 15,000 eggs, but in 2024 they were listed as endangered because they need increased river flows into the Bay to help them survive. They were once one of the most abundant fishes in the Bay, and were prey for other fish, birds, and mammals. But populations have declined by more than 99% since the 1980s. For years, Baykeeper fought for protection for this imperiled species. And in 2024, as a result of our lawsuit, the Longfin Smelt finally received federal protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The new ESA listing will require the government to monitor and modify projects that might harm them—and will give them a fighting chance at survival.
Eelgrass helps protect the Bay from pollution and climate change while providing habitat for many species—including Dungeness crab and salmon. Eelgrass absorbs greenhouse gases, protecting us all from climate change.
Chinook Salmon (juveniles) swim to the Pacific Ocean in fast-flowing rivers, memorizing their path so they can find home when it’s time to lay their eggs. They change dramatically as they swim from the rivers where they hatch, to the ocean where they live for several years, and back to their home rivers to spawn. Their colors change to match the background of each environment, which helps them hide from predators. And their diet and internal systems must change as young fish swim from fresh water to the ocean’s salty water.
Coastal Riffle Sculpin are usually less than 3 inches long and live in small, cold Bay Area streams. They are unique to the Bay Area—they occur nowhere else on Earth.
Starry Flounder hide in the Bay’s sandy floor as they look out for food and predators. They spawn in the ocean and are caught by commercial fishing boats and recreational anglers. As young fish, they migrate into the Bay.
Dungeness Crab hatch in the Pacific Ocean, migrate at least 20 miles to San Pablo Bay, and later walk back along the San Francisco Bay bottom all the way out the Golden Gate. Dungeness are an important part of the local economy and, for many Bay Area families, a holiday tradition.
Olympia Oysters filter pollution, provide habitat for many species, and can help buffer the Bay’s shoreline against sea level rise.
White Sturgeon in the Bay can grow up to 9 feet long, weigh 500 pounds, and live up to 70 years. They spawn in major rivers of the Central Valley and then migrate to the Bay and Delta, where they spend most of their lives hunting for clams, shrimp, and small fish along the Bay’s floor. They are imperiled by unsustainable diversion of high river flows that larval White Sturgeon depend on, and by blooms of harmful algae species that feed on sewage pollution in the Bay.
Delta Smelt measure about 2 inches long, live for only 1 year, and smell like cucumbers! Delta Smelt live nowhere else on Earth and have long been seen as an indicator of environmental conditions in the Bay. Now they are almost extinct in the wild because industrial agriculture diverts too much fresh water from the Delta and the Bay’s watershed.
Baykeeper’s patrol boat program has been a hallmark of the organization since its inception in 1989. We are the only organization, governmental or nonprofit, that regularly patrols San Francisco Bay.
Depending on availability, we occasionally have spots open on our patrols for guests to join us. Please use the Contact Us form to request to be added to the waitlist.
Robert has volunteered as a Baykeeper Skipper, piloting our boat on pollution patrols, for over 10 years. Robert brings a lot of experience to his Head Skipper role. He’s been handling boats since his high school days in Florida aboard his parents’ motorboat. These days, he’s often on San Francisco Bay, racing with a crew of seven in a sailboat he co-owns.
When Robert retired from a career as an airplane engineer, he sought out Baykeeper because he was “looking for opportunities to volunteer with people who do good work for the Bay. I care about what I enjoy, and I want to see it preserved and improved.”
Osprey was the first drone member of our patrol team, thanks to a generous donation by our partners at Autonomous Imagery. We have since added Falcon to the team, as our newest drone.
Our patrol drones gives us the flexibility to investigate hotline tips, scope out new developments, and keep an eye on known polluters from the air. Baykeeper’s field investigators, who are licensed drone operators, oversee this work.
